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Why I Love Being in Music Ministry: Unity with Minimal Drama
One of the greatest things about music in ministry is that it has such a tremendous capacity to unite people. Music unites those who come to hear it, but it also unites those who perform it too. People from all walks of life and skill-levels come together to learn how to function as a cohesive,…
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How God Used My Dentist to Save My Soul
I was hurt by the Church years ago. I had no idea how to handle or work through it at the time, so I reciprocated in kind and left. I left the faith behind and spent the next few years living a spectacularly-sinful life that could give the original prodigal son a run for his…
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How My Love for Priests Led Me to Discern the Diaconate
Why does a half-baked musician trained in the sciences and peacebuilding want to become a deacon? I don’t know exactly, but it seems like a good fit for where my heart is at. You see, I always had an affinity for priests, religious and lost souls. I’m blessed with a special, familial love for them…
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Advent Week 4: Following God’s Promises Leads Us to Incredible Places
Mary must have had a lot on her mind during her long and uncomfortable journey to visit Elizabeth and Zechariah. She was a pregnant teen who encountered an angel that made grandiose promises about her future. Elizabeth was a pregnant, older woman, who had an encounter with an angel too. Surely they had a lot…
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Be a Christmas Miracle by Preparing the Way of the Lord in the Heart
God used John the Baptist to prepare hearts for the arrival of Jesus, and he did it in ways that made sense to people. He didn’t tell folks to offer sacrifices, follow formulas or recite endless prayers for their sins. He didn’t tell people to fast, mourn or mortify themselves in order to make amends…
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Advent is the Season of Faith, Hope and Love for the Tenderhearted
John the Baptist came to tenderize hearts and break them open for Jesus. His ministry was brief, but it was also powerful, effective and necessary. Sometimes I wonder about what he taught, or what people discussed or experienced when they gathered together. Sure, we all know the message was to repent and be baptized, but…
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Let Your Light Shine This Advent
Jesus loves us more than we can possibly imagine. Sometimes it’s hard to appreciate God’s love because we live in a broken world, and that brokenness inhibits us from dwelling in that love all of the time. Yet, that doesn’t diminish God’s love for all of us- Remember, God is pure, uninhibited love. Jesus came…
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What Does the Perfect Steak and a Healthy Soul Have in Common?
Cooking the perfect steak involves a few key elements: Quality meat, good seasoning, the right amount of fat, stable heat and perfect timing. It also needs to rest for a few minutes, and believe it or not, resting the steak is the most-important step. Anthony Bourdain once said that the best way to screw up…
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The Wilderness Album: Healing Music for Those Harmed by the Their Church
When I wrote The Wilderness in 2022, I was going though my time in the dark night of the soul, with no end in sight. Each song was a way of processing my lostness, praying through it, and trying to find God in the midst of that miserable stage of my life. I wish I…
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Gianna’s Lullaby: Dedicated to a Saint who Adopted Me and My Parish
One of the most beautiful parts of our faith is knowing that we are connected with those who have gone before us even though they are no longer with us. We really can have relationships with saints, and we build them just like we do with those among the living- by spending time with them…
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Are You Longing for Answered Prayer? Candlelit Tears is Dedicated to You.
Candlelit Tears came from a very difficult period in life when God felt far off and prayers seemed to be going nowhere. It’s an awful thing to live through. Yet, we’re all called to suffer while we groan for God every now and then. It is what it is. I went through a long period…
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Why do We Say Grace Before We Eat? How Killing a Kitten Helped Me to Figure That Out.
I grew up under the wing of a grandmother with an indomitable spirit and a deep, rich understanding of the Catholic faith. She was also an inventive cook, which meant that we never really knew what to expect until the food ended up on our plates. Sometimes it was delicious, sometimes it was awful. Despite…