So today is the first day that this will be my sole medium for speaking about my faith…..for now. The transition hasn’t been the smoothest but I’m excited nonetheless! There was a saying I heard years ago that went something like “the devil saw me with my head down and smiled….and then I said Amen”. That’s pretty much how I feel right now. Like we (Kerri and I) are on the verge of something so great the devils feels the need to get involved. There is going to be some trying times ahead, I know that. But as long as I keep my eyes on Christ, I know I have nothing to fear.

Thanks for listening. God bless

After almost ten years as one of the leaders in my parishes youth group I will be saying goodbye tonight. Like I had mentioned the other day God is guiding us daily….we just have to listen and say yes. So my wife Kerri and I are. Truth is I’m a little scared. More for the program I’m leaving than for myself. Over the years I’ve come to see both the teens and the other leaders as an extension of my family so I guess my protective instincts are just kicking in. I know the group is being left in excellent and capable hands and it’s my hope and prayer that it will flourish even more. I’ve gotten to a point in my life though that I trust God’s plan so I have to let it go, and even though I’m excited to see where I’m led to next, it is bitter sweet because I will absolutely miss everyone. But like the Apostles before me it’s time to move on and evangelize somewhere else. This morning, for obvious reasons, my mind kept repeating Jeremiah 29:11 but I felt like something was missing. So at around 5:30 this morning I got into work and started getting myself ready. As I was tying my boots I heard something on the radio. It was playing so low it seamed as though it was a whisper, but it was loud enough.

“Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning” -Lamentations 3:23

Boom. It’s almost like He’s showing off sometimes! I mean that’s exactly what I needed to hear. Every day is a new day and God’s mercy and blessings for us are renewed every day. So don’t worry about yesterday or tomorrow because He is always with us.

Thanks for listening. God bless

I’m giving the closing prayer at the Youth Group meeting this Sunday and because it’s the first one I’m giving this year I want it to mean something. Let me clarify that, they always mean something. I just want it to not only wrap up the night, I want it to set a tone for the year. So as I’ve been praying on what to do and I had a moment of self realization. In a manner that is much more often than normal I feel like I’m being pulled by God in different directions. Honestly, it started a couple years ago, but like most people I guess I felt it’s much easier to ignore than to change. But in fact all I have to do is say yes. Yes.

The other day I was reading Galatians, about how Paul called Peter out. You see when Christ first sent the Apostles out he told them to only teach to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” but later in both John 10:16 and Mathew 28:18-20 he tells them to preach to everyone. The problem was that Christians who were jewish converts saw themselves as better than the ones who were gentile. At first Peter treated everyone the same, but after some peer pressure he started to change. What happened next was an awesome example of why Peter was the rock. As the leader amongst the Apostles he could have reacted angrily towards Paul but instead he listened to what he had to say and in the end he agreed. He said yes. Although they would part ways then, they would come together again to teach together in Rome.

Like I said in the past I really do identify with Peter. He knew what was right. He knew what God wanted him to do. He thought it was just easier to ignore…..until he said yes. So like me and the teens I’m going to speak with on Sunday, I ask that when you feel Him pulling you say yes. Trust God’s plan, He will never lead you astray….

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”-Jeremiah 29:11

Thanks for listening. God bless

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to talk to people about my faith. Initially it was definitely academic, I wanted to know more than anyone around me. But as I got older it started to become a part of me. Instead of having conversations driven by learned scripture readings, I started to let my faith guide me. As that started to happen it made me want to learn more. Not because I wanted know more, it was because suddenly I understood more. It’s an amazing feeling when you read a Bible passage and it moves you to the point of tears. I’m sure it sounds crazy but the only word I can think to describe it is joy. But then I wanted to do more. My first true evangelizing experience was in Marine Corps boot camp. Over the course of those three months we were both physically and mentally pushed to what we thought were our limits. The only real down time you got was the few hours of rack time you’d get at night, accordingly you got closest to the guys who racked around you. One night my buddy Anthony asked me how I was always so calm. I showed him the copy of the New Testament we all received when we got there, then made a comment about how all you need is a little faith to do great things. From that night on we would talk about Christ and faith. What made it even better was every once in a while a voice would come out of the darkness from some other bunk asking a question. I truly believe what I did had a calming and reassuring effect on some of those guys. A few weeks in he told me he had spoken to the chaplain about becoming Catholic, and asked if I would help him. It’s funny, I was so taken aback, I never really saw myself as someone people would look to for help. So in as “tough” a voice I could muster I said ,”absolutely”. Inside I felt amazing and honored. Then on the day before graduation, having not seen or spoken to my family for three months, after a few minutes of hugs and kisses I marched my family to the base chapel so they could watch me sponsor my friend at his confirmation. The feeling I got from guiding someone back Christ was absolutely amazing, and it was something I new I had to do.

My journey to the water isn’t too dissimilar. A majority of my childhood was spent in the water. Growing up we didn’t have a lot of money so during the warmer months the only option for cooling off was the local beach. I didn’t have many friends when I was in elementary school so my summers were spent in the “bay” with my mom and brothers. It wasn’t long after watching a few episodes of “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau” that I pleaded my parents into getting my brothers and I a dime store mask and snorkel. Even without understanding the concept of snorkeling, and having a mask that didn’t quite seal right, the Great South Bay was instantly as exotic as any location Jacques went to. Again, needing to know sent me to the library to read books on sealife and tides…..academic once again. Years went by and my obsession with the water evolved into a mix of SCUBA, fishing, clamming, and surfing. Although I was absolutely a waterman it wasn’t until I was on a dive in 1993 that I made the spiritual connection. It was late in the dive and my two dive buddies being low in air surfaced. Even though staying down alone isn’t the safest something made me stay. So there I was literally sitting on a rock about 25′ down looking towards the rock wall that made up the furthest point of the jetty. I remember feeling completely at peace. Feeling the tide shift around me I watched as the sun light, being filtered and bent slowly moved its way towards the wall. It was at the moment it reached a large rock at the base that I was overcome with the feeling of Gods presence.

For any of you who’ve never surfed let me tell you there a few things that can compare to the moment when you’re paddling in and you feel the wave grab your board. There’s this awesome transition. One moment you’re paddling as hard as you can, literally trying to overcome the raw power of the ocean to get yourself in the right spot and then suddenly you feel it. A quick grab. A slight lift. You’re one with water. All glide. Awesome. My epiphany came to me one morning while I was paddle boarding in the bay. I had gone out further than I thought and when I turned to head back to the beach I realized it was going to a long paddle back. About half way back I was miserable. Arms burning, legs shaking, I was just about ready to stop when I felt the lift. Without knowing I had paddled into a small tide set and it caught me. I ended up alternating between surfing and paddling the rest of the way back. Laying on the sand exhausted it hit me. Jesus is the water and I am my board. Now bare with me for a second. It’s after I let the water take me that I’m closest to it. The struggling ends and the ride begins. My faith is the same. It’s not until I stop focusing on the physical/material world and let God guide my life am I truly at peace. Truly feel joy. As a surfer I was always drawn to the story of Jesus walking on water I mean the way I see it He is the original surfer, but I identify with Peter. In Mathew 14 while out on the waves Jesus called to the Apostles and said come out. Peter, obviously stoked about the idea, jumped out saying if you want me to come just say so. Initially it was great, he started walking (surfer number 2?) on the waves, but he list his focus. Instead of looking to Christ he let the storm take over his thoughts and he started to sink. Calling out for help Jesus grabbed him. Like Peter, I strive to be like Christ but I’m just as fail-able. Considering that Peter would go on to be “the rock on which the church was built” he’s not bad company to be in. So there you have it. I know my writing can be rough because write as though we’re having a conversation but that’s how I pray too. I hope you’ll come back and listen every now and again. Remember to live the faith. God bless.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton