One of the greatest challenges of life is how we respond to challenges, setbacks, and disappointments that invariably come along in the midst of life. In these moments, each of us has the choice to either give up, or to persevere. Many times we listen to the inner voice that tells us that we are not worthy, not capable, or not good enough, and we set aside the goal(s) that we are pursuing. Or we embrace the struggle, learn from the setbacks and continue to persevere in whatever it is that we are attempting to do on the journey. It […]
christina.semmens
387 posts
Today, I read an article and saw a video that depicted the spread of Christianity for the last 2000 years. (I’ll paste a link to the article and video below) As I watched the video, I was struck by the reality of how the Gospel spread across the world throughout the centuries, even before the advent of all the communications methods like phones, radio, television, internet, and social media that are so commonplace today. Before modern communications, individuals simply shared the joy of the Good News with each other in a very simple, but profoundly powerful way. How? By sharing […]
Many times when people hear stories about people who are saints, like Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Pope John Paul II, or Maximillian Kolbe, the response tends to be, “Well, that’s great, but I could never be like them.” The reality is actually quite the opposite, as all the people throughout history who eventually became saints share 7 common characteristics that we can incorporate and practice in our own lives, too. 1) Daily Prayer and Meditation All saints prayed every day. Their prayer styles were as different as each of them were, but the commonality was that each of them spent […]
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened. You will find rest. My yoke is easy.”–Matthew 11:28-30 In the midst of our crazy, chaotic world, finding rest, let alone peace can be a major accomplishment, particularly since our world tends to think that “being at rest”, or “being peaceful” is completely unproductive and a waste of time. In fact, although the world tends to perceive the practicing of one’s faith in God as restrictive of one’s freedom and onerously burdensome, so therefore not a restful or peaceful way of living, the reality is actually far different. “Coming to […]
The freedom to choose and exercise our will is what makes us human beings. No other creatures on this earth have this capacity. Our world is increasingly made up of choices–about what we buy, eat, watch, listen, read, etc.–I mean, really, how many options do we need to have for our coffee in the morning? Yet, an unintended consequence of all the choices around us, is we become overwhelmed, and an inertia slowly develops that gradually paralyzes us and eventually decreases our ability to make any choices. The unnamed evil of our times is acedia, or sloth, which is not […]
“If today you hear the sound of God’s voice, harden not your hearts.” This verse from Scripture always gives me pause. Pause because I have to consider 2 things: 1) whether I have heard God’s voice, and if so, what have I heard? And 2) if I haven’t heard God’s voice, is it because my heart is closed to hearing? Or does my heart hear, but I ignore it because something is distracting me? Our Lord asks one thing of us, and that is for us to give Him our whole selves, and what this verse does is force me […]
I am now 10 days into my commitment to blog for 30 days in a row, and I thought it was important to share with those of you who have joined me for this journey to know why I am blogging. Primarily, it is rooted in my experience during the last thirty years of encountering countless numbers of people who are going through life, but are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, unfulfilled, and believe that their life has made little difference in the world, and/or that they have missed out on their life’s true purpose. They are restless and searching for something, […]
I just spent the last 4 days with a phenomenal group of people at a Cursillo de Cursillo retreat that was held in Montgomery Alabama at St Bede’s Catholic Church. Everything throughout the days–the prayer and meditations (thanks, Deacon Mark!), the talks presented on the Cursillo charism and methodology, table discussions, the food!, the conversations at mealtimes, the singing (This Little Light of Mine!), the friendships and sharing, to the the Masses celebrated (big thanks and shout out to Fr Nicholas! Will be praying for you and your Youth next weekend!)–were enriching and meaningful and it was evident that the […]
There is a lot of guidance about what being a leader is out there, but my post tonight is to share some thoughts about several characteristics that are unique to Christian leadership. First, and almost a duh, is that a Christian leader, one needs to be a Christian. I am not referring to the state of believing and accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Rather, being a Christian only occurs by authentically living out the life Christ calls you to live in the world–by being the loving presence of Christ to others. If a Christian leader is not […]
And, He loves you so much that He wants for you to be with Him for all eternity. In fact, God loves you so much that He did (and still does) everything necessary so that possibility can happen, IF we choose it. Many people today will discount this profound reality of God’s love for each of us simply because God wants us and does everything to help us choose Him. I liken that argument to someone telling a women that she should disregard the marriage proposal of a young man simply because he worked as hard as possible to ensure […]