The ultimate Comfort Food

Fall has seem to hit Michigan over the past week or so, this morning on my way in to work it was 46 degrees, that’s a tad bit chilly for an August morning.

Well so  much for global warming….

I love the cooler weather, I love to sit in my house with all the windows open and feel the cool breeze on me, drinking a hot cup of coffee or tea, or having a cup a soup… The dog’s laying by my side and an old movie on TV. Man that to me is a perfect fall day, what more can one ask for!

I have often written about what makes for a perfect day for me, there was the cat in the hat kind of day I wrote about and I have written about sitting on the couch watching old movies before. So what keeps me coming back to this perfection? I would have to say it the comfort they bring, the warm hug that is associated to the memory. It’s like comfort food or that scent that stirs up old feelings. We all have triggers, something that draws us back to a happier time a moment or two in this crazy world that brings calm and order to all around us.

A weekend or two ago was such a day, it was a Saturday and I was home alone, it was raining out and the temperature was a tab-bit cool. I have a list of house hold chores to do, yet I chose to sit on the couch and watch old movies. It was, with out a doubt, one of the most perfect days I have had in some time! I felt good, I felt warm and I felt hugged!

This same feeling, this feeling of comfort and safety is the same feeling we should have each and every Sunday at Mass. Now I admit there is no couch and you cant have a cup of hot coffee or a bowl of soup, but still the house the Jesus built should be a safe place. We should feel the welcoming hug of Jesus as we enter in to his house. But sadly often times we do not. Often times we feel just the opposite, we feel unwelcomed and intrusive. Now I know and you know it’s not Jesus who makes us feel this way.

So who or what makes us feel this way. The simple answer, sin, yep sin, be it ours or someone else’s.  How can we feel comfortable knowing we have hurt God, knowing that we have caused him pain and suffering. It would be like walking in to someone’s house covered with mud, it would be hard for you to feel comfortable knowing that you are tracking mud through out their house. Sin is our mud in the house that Jesus built. We know we are sinners, we know we are tracking mud in to the house of our Lord, yet we enter and sit.

Why do we enter and sit, why do we choose to enter the house of our Lord covered in sin. Why do we choose to allow our sin to splatter and cover what is good and holy? Because Jesus invited us in to his house, knowing that we are covered in sin, so he can wash our sins away. He wants to bath us, to wipe our sins away, and to wrap us in a new towel, to comfort us and hold us, to hug us.

So come to the house that our Lord built, enter as you are, covered in mud and grime, do not worry for our Lord wants you as you are. Sit and be comfortable there is no coffee or tea to offer but what there is, is better, what He offers is himself, his body, blood, soul and divinity, the Holy Eucharist, the ultimate comfort food.

Now if we could only replace the pew’s with nice comfy couches and chairs….

 

Paul

 

To walk Humbly with God

To walk humbly with God, How many of us can truly do that, I mean come on, we are walking with GOD….

I know I would have a hard time doing that, I would be telling everyone I met,” Hey, this is God, I’m walking with God”. Sure I would I would tell the whole world, and yes I would be very very proud of myself, for God chose me to walk with Him. I would tell all my friends, I would call them up on my cell phone just so I could tell them, “Hey, know what I’m doing, I’m walking with God”. Be honest with yourself, you know you would. I mean there are only a few people who wouldn’t do that, the Pope maybe, and probably Mother Theresa, but come on, most of us would, I mean, we are just everyday simple people and we are walking with God.

How can one be humble with God taking a stroll with you? How does God expect that to happen, he must know that this is a request that just can’t be met, he can’t really expect us to be humble in his greatness. To a person of faith this is like the biggest event of a life time, to walk with God, and God expects us to be humble, come on! I know I would be strutting like I never strutted before, everyone would know that I was with God just by the way I was walking. Oh, and of course I would keep the profanity out of our conversation, not because God has never heard it, I am sure he has, but out of respect for Him, I mean He is God and all.

As we walked along I would make sure that all his needs are taken care of, you know, if he is thirsty I would get him a bottle of water or pop or whatever he needs, if he wants something to eat, I would make sure he got something, I wouldn’t want God to go hungry on our walk. I would take care of all his needs; I wouldn’t want God to think that I don’t take care of my guest.

Yep, my walk would God would be the best walk ever, I would make sure I told God about all the wonderful things He has created, and I enjoy, I would be sure to point out all the blessings he gave me, just so he knew I was appreciative of his gifts. Yep, when God went back to heaven He would tell Jesus, That Paul, he really make me feel welcomed, he really went out of his way for me.

One thing is for sure, I would make sure that God had a great time with me, and after our walk I would tell everyone what God and I talked about our walk, and I would want everyone to know what God had to say. Our conversation would be a pleasant one, I am sure. God would tell me about his plans for me and for the world, and I would make sure that everyone would know His plans. I am sure God wouldn’t mine me telling everyone, I am sure that God would want me to.

Man, what a day we would have, just God and me on our little walk. But humble, I’m not sure that is do-able, that would be hard. How could I not be overwhelmed by walking with God, How can He expect such a thing. It’s not like I am walking with my sister or friend, or just anyone, it’s God, no way I can be humble, not going to happen.

To walk Humbly with God, that’s what we are called to do, God calls us to do all sort of things in this life, he expects us to feed the poor, take care of the widows and orphans, care for the sick and comfort those who morn and set free the prisoners. The list goes on and on… Now I can do all that and try to be humble, it’s not easy, but it can’t be as hard as walking with God, and being humble. Sure I can send in a check to feed the children, and remain humble, or offer my time for prison ministry and remain humble, but not walking with God, that’s just way to hard.

The bible is full of commands for us, and Jesus tells us how to live out our lives in the new testament, and for the most part what is required of us is basic, stuff life Love other as I have Loved you or that famous one, For what you do to the least of my brothers you do unto me, sure I get that. I feed the hungry I feed am feeding Jesus, I comfort a friend I am comforting Jesus, I think any basic Christian gets that, and I would think that some can even be humble doing that, but to walk humbly with God, that’s different, or is it?

Each day God offers us an opportunity to walk with Him, to feed Him, to Comfort Him, do we take up the task are we up to it, and are we humble doing it. God gives us the opportunity to live out the command “To walk humbly with God”, each day he places in front of us opportunities to practice humility, to hone in our skills and to become a servant of the Lord, to truly be humble in our work.

Paul

 

The Hook

Some of you may or may not know this, but STATIC Youth is a corporation that is currently in its infancy stage. We are developing a dynamic and innovative middle school aged education/ministry program. We (my partner Theresa and I) have written all the text books and activities for this program. We push ourselves out of our own comfort zone, and place ourselves in the shoes of the youth, seeing the program and God from their eyes.  What a humbling experience.

I do not tell you this to get accolades, I tell you this so I can talk about another gift God has given me. In the process of creating this program, I have had to learn how to write, how to compromise and how to deal with people I really do not want to deal with. God has placed me in many situations that really where not comfortable for me, but I survived. Parents who do not understand what STATIC Youth is all about, they are still looking for the old fashion way of reaching our youth. Looking for the traditional books and homework, well STATIC tossed all that. Yes we stay true to the teachings of the church, I would have to say more than any other program I have used, and I have been teaching middle school religion for over 18 years now. Our main book in the Holy Bible, our kids use the Catechism of the Catholic Church and concordances, they are required to create their own service project and we place on them the responsibility of their faith. We call them in to the Church through a 3 year Confirmation process (6^th thru 8^th grade) and challenge them to except their faith as their own, no longer that of their parents.

Dealing with middle school age youth can be and is a challenge, dealing with the parents of the youth can sometimes seem even more challenging and working with others on a highly creative and fast pace project has its own set of challenges. God has set before me a set of challenges that often times try me to the end. When things go too smoothly for too long, I know God is just letting me rest for the big one just around the corner. 

It is the way of God, it is sort of funny, He gives you a gift freely, but there is always a hook. To me he has given many gifts, and STATIC is one of them, but man this hook can really hold you down sometimes, or so it seems to me. In reality I know that God never holds me down, but rather it is my own human nature that does. I am my own weight, I keep me from flying as God wants me to, I set in to my skin each and every hook that keeps me tethered to this earth, keeps me from flying to new heights daily.

The challenges God places before us are not hooks, they are not to slow us down or to discourage us, they are launch pads for us to jump off of and fly, to spread our wings and achieve new and exciting things. They allow us to praise God from new places and to see the world new once again.

This is the gift God has offered me, and I have taken the challenge of it. Static may or may not become the next new thing in education (although I do believe it will) we may fail at this, in the worlds eyes, but I know God has great things planned for me, and STATIC is a part of it all.

Paul

 

Home

This is not my home, but I like it!

 

I’m home! Yes I love vacations, I love spending time with family and friends. And I did just that, but as much as I love to travel, I love coming home even more.

Maybe that’s why I love to travel; maybe I love it so much because I love coming home even more. Home is where comfort is, home is where I can relax, and just be, home just is. We all know when we enter home, we walk in and we feel it. We just know that we are home.

 

 

 

Well that’s how I feel, that’s how I know I am home, I can just feel it, my body relaxes my mind rest and my heart is happy.

 

Now this doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy vacations, because I do, I love to travel and to be on vacation. Yes my mind relaxes, my heart is happy and I can just be. But its different, it’s not bad, just different.

 

 When my mom was still alive, and I need to feel safe I would go to her house, where ever it was, and I was home, I was safe. It didn’t matter where she lived the location was not home, but rather the feeling was.

 

It’s the same now, yes I love the house I have, I have decorated the way I like, and all my “stuff” is in it, but that’s not home, home is a feeling I get when I enter through the door. It’s the sigh my body gives; it’s the sights and smells, the memories and the flow. Home is more then brick and wood with windows and doors; home is a state of being.

 

My vacation was fun; I spent time with family and friends and was at home in Michigan. As I stated in previous blog, Michigan is my home, and yes I feel safe and secure here, and yes I love her, but Michigan is also home to many others, but my house, my home is just mine, its safe for me, and its mine.

 

Paul