Category: Reflections

Being a disciple of Jesus has its good days and bad days. Sometimes walking with him is smooth like butter while other days involve resisting the urge to pull our hair out and scream in frustration. There are times when we question our faith and times we doubt it altogether. The highs, lows, ebbs and…

I returned to the Church a couple of years ago after a long, winding, painfully-horrific journey into the wilderness and back. My sins cost me more than a decade of my life, and I have to live with the consequences of that every single day. When I came home, I was expecting to make my…

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…

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…

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,…

This is a hard time to be alive in the Church today. We’ve spent a lot of time, money and resources over the years trying to figure out why people are so disaffected or disengaged with the faith. Yet, like our healthcare philosophy in this country, we keep focusing on symptoms instead of identifying and…

I’ve never been very familiar with the Holy Spirit. I’ve been an “active” Christian for most of my life, yet that mysterious part of the Trinity is the one that I know the least about. Isn’t that something? I’m legitimately disappointed to read these words and realize that they come from me. Imagine being in…

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…

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. I always had an affinity for priests, religious and lost souls. I’m blessed with a special, familial love for them that I…