Kansas City is where it's at.

I had the great opportunity this past weekend to share my life with others. One of my favorite aspects of FOCUS is Discipleship. We take two or three individuals and pour of our lives into them. 1 Thes. 2:8 - "So being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves because you had become very dear to us." It's scary and it's takes vulnerability into to share lives with other people. There is doubt and questions that arise, "Well they still respect me if they knew this about me?" One of the things I have realized in my time with FOCUS, people will still like you. They might even respect you because you were able to conquer sin and say Yes to our Lord.

This past weekend I invited "my disciples" on staff to Kansas City for a weekend of fellowship. We started Friday night by enjoying each other's company and getting to know each other. Than mass, prayer, and rosary outside of Planned Parenthood. There is nothing like praying outside in 40 degree weather. We later experienced BBQ by eating at Oklahoma Joe's and after that just fellowship. Sharing life is not doing anything so extravagant, but rather living your life. Noise of the world and media distracts us to getting to know each other as individuals. God is so Good.

Fill me Up.

Okay, so you might be wondering what is all that about? So yesterday during the rosary I was meditating on the 2nd Mystery, Wedding Feast of Cana. The servants filled them to the brim. Ever stopped and thought about this passage. If that is the case, Fill me up Lord. But what a second, if I ask you to fill me up, I must have a lot of faith in Your will in my life. Do I? I am not really sure. I want to have that trust and confidence in our Lord, but do I?

This is a rather short entry, I apologize just something been praying about lately.

Just text me...

So this is one phrase I hear over and over again from college students. "Just text me." At first two years ago, I was like sure, sounds easy. But to be honest it's one of my biggest annoyances now. It seems that talking to individuals one-on-one is becoming rare. The way to communicate is through cell phones, texting, e-mailing, and facebooking. Don't get me wrong these ways of communication are fabulous and they get the job done when used correctly. It's when people are solely in front of their computers and cell phones nearby them 24/7 and when it comes to social skills and having a face-to-face conversation that don't know how.

I now understand why people don't know how to talk to each other anymore. Conversations are short, simple, and not personal. I heard once that weak people talk about people, good people talk about events, and great people talk about dreams.

Ponder this quote. Are we talking to our friends and close ones about the past and future events, always gossiping about the man/woman next door or they talking about dreams, aspirations, and goals. My favorite question to ask lately is, "What are you going to do for yourself next year?" Challenge the people around to think deeply.

Zaccheus and I could be friends.

One my favorite people in the Bible. Okay, Jesus, Mary and Joseph are pretty good too, but Zaccheus is my friend. A short tax collector who after eating with Jesus converts.

Okay, so here is a man who was in the crowds with thousands of others to see this man called Jesus who is the Savior of the world. She is the chief tax collector which means he is the mob leader. This man is short and a man well respected and feared by many, is climbing up a tree to see someone. Can you imagine the man in charge of the mob climbing a tree. I think not. He does so because I know is looking for greatness. That is where the story changes. As Jesus is passing by, he says, "Zaccheus, come down from that tree and I am going to your house for dinner." Jesus was searching for HIM!!

Zaccheus is the only other person other than the apostles that Jesus calls out by name in the Bible. Which means you know he was being called out. As good Christians we are constantly wanting God to desire us. But guess what. He does desire us and wants he us to desire him.

So I pray for you as you pray for me to start desiring to love Jesus as he is always desiring you.
Luke 9:1-10

How to Accompany Jesus

When you do not think of yourself, my grace visits you, and I provide what is necessary for you. When you try to do it yourself, I leave you to your own care...

In the same way, the more simple you are, the more you will avoid great temptations, which are used to destroy in you that which is an obstacle between you and me. I am simple and near you. To come to me, your work is to remove obstacles; to eliminate, to choose, to remove all that you accumulate in your mind and in your heart apart from me. If you become simple as a child, where are the obstacles? You say that little children having no great struggles, have no great merits: the purpose of your life does not lie in the personal merit due to your generosity; your merit will lie in using all your generosity to allow me to live in you...

Remember this: the value of your existence is not in what you have done or said, or suffered: it is the part of your being that you have given to your Savior, in what you have allowed me to do with you. Give me your heart - and your heart is your whole life! See: what you wish to take by your own power you cannot grasp - what you give to me, I give back to you ....

It is my love which prevents you from understanding my passion - you understood how much I suffered you would be crushed...

Do no tire of asking for love: it transforms everything. Even time: thus when one loves much, one has plenty of time, time in which to do many things.
- Sister Mary of the Holy Trinity [Sister Mary of the Holy Trinity (1942) was a Poor Clare of Jerusalem.]