Here we are at the last chapter of the book.
We will be reading from the Seventh Mansion, Chapter Four, numbers 1-8.
Topics are:
1. Vicissitudes of the Seventh Mansion.
2. Humility produced by them.
3. Such souls free from mortal and from willful venial sins.
4. The fate of Solomon.
5. Holy fear.
6. These favors strengthen souls to suffer.
7. Crosses born by the Saints.
8. Effect of vision of Our Lord on St. Peter.
…
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]]>Here we are at the last chapter of the book.
We will be reading from the Seventh Mansion, Chapter Four, numbers 1-8.
Topics are:
1. Vicissitudes of the Seventh Mansion.
2. Humility produced by them.
3. Such souls free from mortal and from willful venial sins.
4. The fate of Solomon.
5. Holy fear.
6. These favors strengthen souls to suffer.
7. Crosses born by the Saints.
8. Effect of vision of Our Lord on St. Peter.
The post The Last Chapter: Seventh Mansion, Chapter Four, 1-8 appeared first on .
]]>This is a big day for me! It’s my podcast’s 500th episode! Thank you for to all who have joined along with me.
Today, we will be reading from the Sixth Mansion, Chapter Seven, numbers 1-5.
Topics are:
1. Sorrow for sin felt by souls in the Sixth Mansion.
2. How this sorrow is felt.
3. St. Teresa’s grief for her past sins.
4. Such souls, centered in God, forget self-interest.
5. The remembrance of divine benefits increases contrition.
Our sponsor today is Chrism Press. To pick up your copy of “Markmaker,” go here: www.chrismpress.com. Use coupon code “pilgrim15” to get 15% off your first order.
…
The post Sorrow for Our Sins: Sixth Mansion, Chapter Seven, 1-5 appeared first on .
]]>This is a big day for me! It’s my podcast’s 500th episode! Thank you for to all who have joined along with me.
Today, we will be reading from the Sixth Mansion, Chapter Seven, numbers 1-5.
Topics are:
1. Sorrow for sin felt by souls in the Sixth Mansion.
2. How this sorrow is felt.
3. St. Teresa’s grief for her past sins.
4. Such souls, centered in God, forget self-interest.
5. The remembrance of divine benefits increases contrition.
Our sponsor today is Chrism Press. To pick up your copy of “Markmaker,” go here: www.chrismpress.com. Use coupon code “pilgrim15” to get 15% off your first order.
The post Sorrow for Our Sins: Sixth Mansion, Chapter Seven, 1-5 appeared first on .
]]>Today, we are reading from the Sixth Mansion, Chapter One, numbers 19-23.
Topics are:
19. Bewilderment of the soul.
20. God alone relieves these troubles.
21. Human weakness.
22. Earthly consolations are of no avail.
23. Prayer gives no comfort at such a time.
Our sponsor today is Chrism Press. Please check out their selection of Catholic and Orthodox fiction at: https://chrismpress.com/. Use coupon code “pilgrim15” for 15% off your first order.
…
The post When Prayer Doesn’t Comfort: Sixth Mansion, Chapter One, 19-23 appeared first on .
]]>Today, we are reading from the Sixth Mansion, Chapter One, numbers 19-23.
Topics are:
19. Bewilderment of the soul.
20. God alone relieves these troubles.
21. Human weakness.
22. Earthly consolations are of no avail.
23. Prayer gives no comfort at such a time.
Our sponsor today is Chrism Press. Please check out their selection of Catholic and Orthodox fiction at: https://chrismpress.com/. Use coupon code “pilgrim15” for 15% off your first order.
The post When Prayer Doesn’t Comfort: Sixth Mansion, Chapter One, 19-23 appeared first on .
]]>
I didn’t hear St. Maximilian Kolbe’s story until a few years into my conversion to Catholicism.
When I finally heard it, though, it shook me a little, because his sacrifice was a level of devotion to Christ that I had never really read about before outside of the Bible.
He gave his life not for his wife, his child, his parent, best friend, or a sibling. He gave his life for a fellow prisoner at Auschwitz.
That was the moment I fully “got” why priests, especially in the Latin Rite, do not marry. In imitation of Christ, they sacrifice wife and children for the ability to lay down their lives for their flock, though maybe not always in physical death.
Like I said, St. Maximilian Kolbe’s story shook me, because I had not really encountered a modern story like his. In Western society, with our watered-down Christianity, we are insulted from the harsh and raw realities of what it really means to be a disciple of Christ.
I wondered if I had St. Maximilian Kolbe’s level of devotion to Christ.
My understanding growing up and, even into my thirties, was that Christianity was supposed to make your life easy.
But that is not true. It is, however, meant to give your life purpose and, consequently, it will ask hard things of you.
St. Maximilian Kolbe once wrote, “You must be prepared for moments of darkness, anguish, uncertainty, fear, sometimes very insistent temp-tations, and suffering of the body and of the soul–that are a hundred times more severe. In fact, if there were nothing to bear, for what would you go to heaven? Without struggle, victory would be impossible and without victory there can be no crown, there can be no reward. Therefore, from now on be prepared for anything.”
Be grateful for St. Maximilian Kolbe’s example, Catholic Pilgrims. Not because we should want to die, but because we should want to truly live in Christ.
St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us!…
The post Daily Reflection: 14 August 2023 appeared first on .
]]>I didn’t hear St. Maximilian Kolbe’s story until a few years into my conversion to Catholicism.
When I finally heard it, though, it shook me a little, because his sacrifice was a level of devotion to Christ that I had never really read about before outside of the Bible.
He gave his life not for his wife, his child, his parent, best friend, or a sibling. He gave his life for a fellow prisoner at Auschwitz.
That was the moment I fully “got” why priests, especially in the Latin Rite, do not marry. In imitation of Christ, they sacrifice wife and children for the ability to lay down their lives for their flock, though maybe not always in physical death.
Like I said, St. Maximilian Kolbe’s story shook me, because I had not really encountered a modern story like his. In Western society, with our watered-down Christianity, we are insulted from the harsh and raw realities of what it really means to be a disciple of Christ.
I wondered if I had St. Maximilian Kolbe’s level of devotion to Christ.
My understanding growing up and, even into my thirties, was that Christianity was supposed to make your life easy.
But that is not true. It is, however, meant to give your life purpose and, consequently, it will ask hard things of you.
St. Maximilian Kolbe once wrote, “You must be prepared for moments of darkness, anguish, uncertainty, fear, sometimes very insistent temp-tations, and suffering of the body and of the soul–that are a hundred times more severe. In fact, if there were nothing to bear, for what would you go to heaven? Without struggle, victory would be impossible and without victory there can be no crown, there can be no reward. Therefore, from now on be prepared for anything.”
Be grateful for St. Maximilian Kolbe’s example, Catholic Pilgrims. Not because we should want to die, but because we should want to truly live in Christ.
St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us!…
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]]>
In my travels, I’ve visited every major city in the US except Seattle and Boston.
I’m not a big city gal, though. I grew up in a small town right outside of Kansas City and I much prefer the small town feel.
I used to like visiting big cities for a few days before they were rotted away by “progressive” policies, but, even back in the day, only for a few days.
It doesn’t take long in a big city to feel lonely and detached from people, nature, and a sense of belonging. The amount of intentional effort you have to put in to feel connection is substantially greater in a big city.
It’s also easier for things to completely unravel and degenerate in a big city because the effort required to keep everything running smoothly is so much greater.
Jesus gives warnings to several cities in our Gospel reading today. By calling out the cities for their wicked ways, He’s ultimately calling out the people who live there.
The people have allowed each other to slip into wickedness, they practice evil things, they are unrepentant; basically, they stopped looking out for each other’s souls and adopted a “you do you” mentality which never bodes well.
Any small town or big city if susceptible to this dire fate really, if we stop caring for one another. Our acceptance of drugs has left people homeless and overdosing in our streets. Modern technology leaves us all sitting in our homes thinking that screen time counts as real human connections. It doesn’t.
We are too consumed with ourselves to worry or care about the health and well being of those around us. All of us were made for more than what we are currently experiencing.
We have to be willing to take back what has been lost but it will require sacrifice and getting uncomfortable, Catholic Pilgrims. It’s worth it, though, for the sake of future generations.
Live the Faith boldly and travel this Tuesday.…
The post Daily Reflection: 18 July 2023 appeared first on .
]]>In my travels, I’ve visited every major city in the US except Seattle and Boston.
I’m not a big city gal, though. I grew up in a small town right outside of Kansas City and I much prefer the small town feel.
I used to like visiting big cities for a few days before they were rotted away by “progressive” policies, but, even back in the day, only for a few days.
It doesn’t take long in a big city to feel lonely and detached from people, nature, and a sense of belonging. The amount of intentional effort you have to put in to feel connection is substantially greater in a big city.
It’s also easier for things to completely unravel and degenerate in a big city because the effort required to keep everything running smoothly is so much greater.
Jesus gives warnings to several cities in our Gospel reading today. By calling out the cities for their wicked ways, He’s ultimately calling out the people who live there.
The people have allowed each other to slip into wickedness, they practice evil things, they are unrepentant; basically, they stopped looking out for each other’s souls and adopted a “you do you” mentality which never bodes well.
Any small town or big city if susceptible to this dire fate really, if we stop caring for one another. Our acceptance of drugs has left people homeless and overdosing in our streets. Modern technology leaves us all sitting in our homes thinking that screen time counts as real human connections. It doesn’t.
We are too consumed with ourselves to worry or care about the health and well being of those around us. All of us were made for more than what we are currently experiencing.
We have to be willing to take back what has been lost but it will require sacrifice and getting uncomfortable, Catholic Pilgrims. It’s worth it, though, for the sake of future generations.
Live the Faith boldly and travel this Tuesday.…
The post Daily Reflection: 18 July 2023 appeared first on .
]]>
One of the biggest fears plaguing people in our society is the fear of never being seen.
People are desperate to make some kind of mark, anything really, in order to be known. Sadly, they will do just about anything to get attention.
Much of this comes from not giving people faith in God or their denial to accept Him. When this short life is all you believe in, there is an urgency to not be forgotten as the pages of history are continually being written. Many of us want our page in order to feel like our life matters.
On Fridays, I go to daily Mass and most times when I walk in at noon, in the back pew, there is a very old homeless man asleep. He never bothers anyone, never asks for anything. Nobody tries to remove him or bother him. Every once in awhile I’ll see someone lay money on his bags. Completely bent over, he soundly sleeps there in the warm, peaceful church.
I don’t know anything about this man. I don’t know his name. I don’t know his story. I don’t even know if he is a believer. I doubt many people know who he is.
The only thing I do know is that he keeps coming back because the church is a place he feels safe in. If not, he wouldn’t keep coming. Maybe he enjoys the warmth. Maybe he enjoys the quiet. Or maybe it’s because God is there and it’s the only place he feels seen. Maybe it’s the only place he feels safe and loved. Maybe he is actually listening to the Mass. I honestly don’t know.
Thankfully, Christ does see him. He knows him inside and out. He knows his story. He knows his name. And, He loves this poor man hunched over in the back pew who looks like he’s lived a very hard life.
Christ sees every one of us, Catholic Pilgrims. We don’t have to be famous or do anything history-book worthy for Him to know and love us. Thank goodness.
Have a blessed Monday.…
The post Daily Reflection: 30 January 2023 appeared first on .
]]>One of the biggest fears plaguing people in our society is the fear of never being seen.
People are desperate to make some kind of mark, anything really, in order to be known. Sadly, they will do just about anything to get attention.
Much of this comes from not giving people faith in God or their denial to accept Him. When this short life is all you believe in, there is an urgency to not be forgotten as the pages of history are continually being written. Many of us want our page in order to feel like our life matters.
On Fridays, I go to daily Mass and most times when I walk in at noon, in the back pew, there is a very old homeless man asleep. He never bothers anyone, never asks for anything. Nobody tries to remove him or bother him. Every once in awhile I’ll see someone lay money on his bags. Completely bent over, he soundly sleeps there in the warm, peaceful church.
I don’t know anything about this man. I don’t know his name. I don’t know his story. I don’t even know if he is a believer. I doubt many people know who he is.
The only thing I do know is that he keeps coming back because the church is a place he feels safe in. If not, he wouldn’t keep coming. Maybe he enjoys the warmth. Maybe he enjoys the quiet. Or maybe it’s because God is there and it’s the only place he feels seen. Maybe it’s the only place he feels safe and loved. Maybe he is actually listening to the Mass. I honestly don’t know.
Thankfully, Christ does see him. He knows him inside and out. He knows his story. He knows his name. And, He loves this poor man hunched over in the back pew who looks like he’s lived a very hard life.
Christ sees every one of us, Catholic Pilgrims. We don’t have to be famous or do anything history-book worthy for Him to know and love us. Thank goodness.
Have a blessed Monday.…
The post Daily Reflection: 30 January 2023 appeared first on .
]]>
This week we are reading the 27th number from “Way to Inner Peace.” This is the last reading from our section on virtue. Our topic is on wars–internal and external. This is a very dense reading this week. I encourage you to take some time and read it through on your own and meditate on it. I really think it deserves a second look, as all of his writings do.
Three key points: Morality, decency, and virtue.
…
The post Week 27 with Venerable Fulton Sheen appeared first on .
]]>This week we are reading the 27th number from “Way to Inner Peace.” This is the last reading from our section on virtue. Our topic is on wars–internal and external. This is a very dense reading this week. I encourage you to take some time and read it through on your own and meditate on it. I really think it deserves a second look, as all of his writings do.
Three key points: Morality, decency, and virtue.
The post Week 27 with Venerable Fulton Sheen appeared first on .
]]>This week we are reading the 12th number from “Way to Inner Peace.” Our topic for this week is on hospitality. This week gave me all the feels because it made me reminisce on my time in Turkey. In Turkey, I experienced hospitality like I’ve never known and it’s something that I greatly miss from my time there. I think you are going to get so much out of this week’s important topic.
Three points to think about are: Personal relationships, good neighbors, and trust.
…
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]]>This week we are reading the 12th number from “Way to Inner Peace.” Our topic for this week is on hospitality. This week gave me all the feels because it made me reminisce on my time in Turkey. In Turkey, I experienced hospitality like I’ve never known and it’s something that I greatly miss from my time there. I think you are going to get so much out of this week’s important topic.
Three points to think about are: Personal relationships, good neighbors, and trust.
The post Week 12 with Venerable Fulton Sheen appeared first on .
]]>We will be reading mostly a longer prayer from Sister Faustina. I would encourage you to get into a very prayerful mindset. The biggest thing to focus on is the fact that she is saying, “No matter what, Lord, I will bless you.” And that is the attitude of a true saint.
…
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]]>We will be reading mostly a longer prayer from Sister Faustina. I would encourage you to get into a very prayerful mindset. The biggest thing to focus on is the fact that she is saying, “No matter what, Lord, I will bless you.” And that is the attitude of a true saint.
The post Day 257 with St. Faustina’s Diary appeared first on .
]]>
Today’s readings are from Notebook 2, numbers 971-978.
Sister Faustina knows that greater knowledge of God brings about greater love for God. What are the ways we can have greater knowledge of God? Scripture is the obvious answer and attendance at Mass. Are there other ways, too? I talk about some ways that I think you can gain a greater knowledge of God.
Here are the links for the band I mention:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQyvuwsQdGQ (Spring)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIGZ4Y13u2A (Summer)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFgLYJRylP8 (Fall)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV1-R-hSea4 (Winter)
…
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]]>Today’s readings are from Notebook 2, numbers 971-978.
Sister Faustina knows that greater knowledge of God brings about greater love for God. What are the ways we can have greater knowledge of God? Scripture is the obvious answer and attendance at Mass. Are there other ways, too? I talk about some ways that I think you can gain a greater knowledge of God.
Here are the links for the band I mention:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQyvuwsQdGQ (Spring)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIGZ4Y13u2A (Summer)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFgLYJRylP8 (Fall)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV1-R-hSea4 (Winter)
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]]>
As a writer, I’m always very keenly aware of people’s stories and I am always on the lookout for blogging material. This past Friday, my best friend invited me to an Advent Tea which was a much-needed time of reflection. A priest, Fr. Bullock, gave a wonderful reflection and as I soaked up his words, I knew I wanted to expand on them and bring them to my readers. When his talk was over, I turned to my friend and giddily clapped my hands and said, “That was great! I’ve got some good blog fodder.”
She laughed and replied, “I thought you might write about this for your blog.”
For the Advent reflections, we focused on four different people: Herod, the chief priests, the magi, and Mary. My next few blogs will be covering each of these people. The credit for what I’m about to write goes to Blaise Pascal and Father Bullock.
Pascal once said, “There are three kinds of people in the world: Those who seek God and have found Him, those who are seeking Him, and those that neither seek Him or find Him.”
Father Bullock went on to say, “I would expand this to four groups of people: Those that have found God, those that are seeking God, those that are seeking for negative reasons, and those that don’t care to seek.”
Herod.
A wicked, power-hungry man who sought God not because he wanted a relationship, but, instead, for selfish, violent reasons. He wanted to destroy him. In Matthew Chapter 2, the magi are seeking to find the “newborn king of the Jews.” They appear before Herod to ask him where the child might be located. Remember, the magi were not Jewish and would not have known the prophecies surrounding the Messiah’s birthplace. So, they head to Herod and inquire about where the location might be.
We see very easily the internal thoughts of Herod.
“When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled.” Matthew 2:3 Uh oh. Someone’s threatening his earthly power. It doesn’t matter that it’s a newborn baby. It’s a threat and threats must be dealt with swiftly.
But, his external actions and words are a contradiction to his internal thoughts. Even though Herod was king over the Jews, he had no clue where the Messiah was to be born, so he summons the chief priests to ask. They tell him that Bethlehem is the location. He calls back the magi and tries to act all nicey-nice. “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.” Matthew 2:8
Oh yes, Mr. Herod was just *dying* inside to pay homage to a potential usurper. Actually, he was dying for one of his thugs to stick a sword through the baby.
Herod sought God not because he wanted to worship Him, but because he wanted to root Him out and destroy Him. This is what happens when you set yourself up as your own personal god. Herod, though, is not an anomaly. We can find many like him throughout history.
How many world leaders have been threatened by religion, specifically Christianity? Numerous. How many people have been killed because they are religious? Too many to count.
Look at our own country. Christianity is consistently targeted by the media and non-believing crowds. If you disagree with Christianity or make fun of it…well, job well done and here’s a cookie. I’ve read several things now over the course of the years by militant atheists and while they will argue against other religions, the bulk of their writing is focused on dismantling one thing–Christianity.
Christ is a threat to many people. His teachings conflict with their way of life. Just like Herod, some people want to root out Christianity and dismantle it until it is no more. In all honesty, they’ve done a pretty good job. They’ve managed to remove God from a lot of things in our country. Their basic underlying reason: Christianity is a threat. It threatens the kind of life some people wish to live out.
Usually, in our country, you won’t lose your life because you are Christian, but you will suffer persecution if you try to live out Christ’s teachings. People online have encouraged me to kill myself because I’m Catholic. I’ve been told that my Christian beliefs make me “the worst mother in the world.” People have told me that they “hate me” because I am a Christian and that I’m nothing but a “brainwashed bigot.” All of this is said in an effort to silence me and try to scare me away. Where Herod had his goons use swords to actually cut down the Holy Innocents in search of Christ, those threatened by Christ today use their words like swords. They attempt to use words and laws to cut you down until you just stop talking about Jesus.
When you set yourself up as your own god, you become paranoid that another will come along and take your place. Herod was terrified of losing his way of life. He loved the prestige, the power, the money, the women, the material goods, and the freedom to determine his own moral compass. The Christ-child caused great fear in him. Isn’t that interesting? Herod really lived in complete and utter fear that someone would snatch away what he had built up for himself. He had no peace whatsoever.
It’s not different today. Up and down the ages, there have been those that actively work to remove Christ. They are terrified of losing their way of life. For bad leaders, it’s the knowledge that people oftentimes worship a higher power and not them. When people believe in a higher power than the government, it makes them harder to control. That’s why Communism always tries to purge religion. For regular people, it’s the knowledge that Christ is the moral compass and that makes sin uncomfortable. In their minds, it’s better to …
The post Don’t Ever Doubt That We Have Herods Among Us appeared first on .
]]>As a writer, I’m always very keenly aware of people’s stories and I am always on the lookout for blogging material. This past Friday, my best friend invited me to an Advent Tea which was a much-needed time of reflection. A priest, Fr. Bullock, gave a wonderful reflection and as I soaked up his words, I knew I wanted to expand on them and bring them to my readers. When his talk was over, I turned to my friend and giddily clapped my hands and said, “That was great! I’ve got some good blog fodder.”
She laughed and replied, “I thought you might write about this for your blog.”
For the Advent reflections, we focused on four different people: Herod, the chief priests, the magi, and Mary. My next few blogs will be covering each of these people. The credit for what I’m about to write goes to Blaise Pascal and Father Bullock.
Pascal once said, “There are three kinds of people in the world: Those who seek God and have found Him, those who are seeking Him, and those that neither seek Him or find Him.”
Father Bullock went on to say, “I would expand this to four groups of people: Those that have found God, those that are seeking God, those that are seeking for negative reasons, and those that don’t care to seek.”
Herod.
A wicked, power-hungry man who sought God not because he wanted a relationship, but, instead, for selfish, violent reasons. He wanted to destroy him. In Matthew Chapter 2, the magi are seeking to find the “newborn king of the Jews.” They appear before Herod to ask him where the child might be located. Remember, the magi were not Jewish and would not have known the prophecies surrounding the Messiah’s birthplace. So, they head to Herod and inquire about where the location might be.
We see very easily the internal thoughts of Herod.
“When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled.” Matthew 2:3 Uh oh. Someone’s threatening his earthly power. It doesn’t matter that it’s a newborn baby. It’s a threat and threats must be dealt with swiftly.
But, his external actions and words are a contradiction to his internal thoughts. Even though Herod was king over the Jews, he had no clue where the Messiah was to be born, so he summons the chief priests to ask. They tell him that Bethlehem is the location. He calls back the magi and tries to act all nicey-nice. “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.” Matthew 2:8
Oh yes, Mr. Herod was just *dying* inside to pay homage to a potential usurper. Actually, he was dying for one of his thugs to stick a sword through the baby.
Herod sought God not because he wanted to worship Him, but because he wanted to root Him out and destroy Him. This is what happens when you set yourself up as your own personal god. Herod, though, is not an anomaly. We can find many like him throughout history.
How many world leaders have been threatened by religion, specifically Christianity? Numerous. How many people have been killed because they are religious? Too many to count.
Look at our own country. Christianity is consistently targeted by the media and non-believing crowds. If you disagree with Christianity or make fun of it…well, job well done and here’s a cookie. I’ve read several things now over the course of the years by militant atheists and while they will argue against other religions, the bulk of their writing is focused on dismantling one thing–Christianity.
Christ is a threat to many people. His teachings conflict with their way of life. Just like Herod, some people want to root out Christianity and dismantle it until it is no more. In all honesty, they’ve done a pretty good job. They’ve managed to remove God from a lot of things in our country. Their basic underlying reason: Christianity is a threat. It threatens the kind of life some people wish to live out.
Usually, in our country, you won’t lose your life because you are Christian, but you will suffer persecution if you try to live out Christ’s teachings. People online have encouraged me to kill myself because I’m Catholic. I’ve been told that my Christian beliefs make me “the worst mother in the world.” People have told me that they “hate me” because I am a Christian and that I’m nothing but a “brainwashed bigot.” All of this is said in an effort to silence me and try to scare me away. Where Herod had his goons use swords to actually cut down the Holy Innocents in search of Christ, those threatened by Christ today use their words like swords. They attempt to use words and laws to cut you down until you just stop talking about Jesus.
When you set yourself up as your own god, you become paranoid that another will come along and take your place. Herod was terrified of losing his way of life. He loved the prestige, the power, the money, the women, the material goods, and the freedom to determine his own moral compass. The Christ-child caused great fear in him. Isn’t that interesting? Herod really lived in complete and utter fear that someone would snatch away what he had built up for himself. He had no peace whatsoever.
It’s not different today. Up and down the ages, there have been those that actively work to remove Christ. They are terrified of losing their way of life. For bad leaders, it’s the knowledge that people oftentimes worship a higher power and not them. When people believe in a higher power than the government, it makes them harder to control. That’s why Communism always tries to purge religion. For regular people, it’s the knowledge that Christ is the moral compass and that makes sin uncomfortable. In their minds, it’s better to …
The post Don’t Ever Doubt That We Have Herods Among Us appeared first on .
]]>
I wrote last week about how I learned to love and forgive a family member that was completely different than me. Here’s that blog if you’d like to read it. From that blog, a question was posed to me. I’d like to take this blog to answer it.
Question: How do you navigate a relationship with someone who is so vastly different in every single belief, behavior, action etc?
I think the answer lies in degrees. Different relationships will require different navigation. I don’t have experience in all these situation, but for the ones I do, I’ll try to give some examples.
Acquaintances
When I first moved to Vegas, I needed to find a hairdresser. I read reviews online for a great place and called and made my appointment. When I got to the salon, I saw my hairdresser for the first time and, inside, I was like, “Hmmmm…this could be interesting.” She’s very Vegas and I’m very….uh…Kansas and we’ll just leave it at that. I quickly discovered, though, that she’s awesome. I love chatting with her. Unless she’s blow drying my hair, we laugh and talk like good buddies. I know from small remarks she’s made that our belief sets are completely different. I think she understands this, too, and so we never venture into religion, politics, or anything controversial. I’m so glad that she’s my hairdresser and I always look forward to seeing her. Our relationship is very limited, given the nature of it, and that makes it easy to just skim over the more hot-button topics. So often in life, we get so caught up in “our side” that we miss just the human experience of getting to know people that have different stories, different up-bringings, and different thoughts. With co-workers, acquaintances, and friends that aren’t extremely close, navigating those relationships isn’t or shouldn’t be too hard. Just enjoy the person. Learn to listen without having a debate about everything and get to know them.
Close Friends
When you are trying to navigate the area of friendship, things get a little more complicated. If you ever want to truly be close with someone you are going to have to go a little deeper than coffee break room chit-chat. The best thing to remember about friends is that you want to surround yourself with people of virtue and those that truly want to help you grow into a great person. Friends that encourage you to do things that aren’t becoming of you or that try to steer you down paths that you know are against your core beliefs are ones to walk away from. Our friends influence our thoughts and behaviors quite a bit, so if they stand for things we know are seriously wrong, stepping away from them is usually best.
I had a friend in college that engaged in some very questionable behavior. She was a blast to be around and she was always the life of the party, but I completely disagreed with certain things that she thought were okay. After awhile, she started encouraging me to engage in her same lifestyle choices and, sadly, I had to walk away. I still missed her for the good things about her, but her negative influence was weighing on me.
Parents and other family members
I can’t say it any better than this. Rocker Andrew W. K. gives some great advice that works for anyone.
Boyfriends/Girlfriends
When I was a senior in high school, I fell for one of the school bad boys. Deep down he wasn’t really a bad person, but he played the part very well: He smoked, drank, had tattoos, dropped out of school, and lived for working on cars, fishing, and hanging with his buddies. I was drawn in by his looks and his looks held me for awhile. Slowly, though, our differences began to seep out, but I ignored them because 1. I thought I could change him and 2. I was young.
We got engaged, but I never felt gleeful about it. In fact, it sort of weighed on my heart like a heavy brick. I knew I wasn’t supposed to feel this way about being engaged and, if I did, that was a bad sign. I pressed on, though, determined to see us through. What bothered me most was that we were just so different on all fronts. Our beliefs were opposites, our lifestyles were opposites, and there was so little that we saw eye-to-eye on. We fought a lot and I was super frustrated with him most of the time. It came to a point where my initial attraction to his looks could not prop up our relationship anymore.
One time, after we’d had a dramatic temporary break-up, I was sitting on my parent’s front porch crying. My dad came up and asked me what was going on and I told him. He said, “Amy, if this is who you want to be with, I respect that, but what does he offer to your life? Why do you enjoy being with him?”
“I love him,” was my answer.
To which my dad said, “Okay, but think about being married to him. You are two very different people. What does he offer to you that makes you stay?”
“Well, we teach each other things.”
“Uh huh, like what? What does he teach you?”
“Well, he teaches me about deer and hunting and stuff.” Even as I type this now, I can’t believe I ever uttered that. Deer and stuff? Deer and stuff was supposed to sustain a marriage? My dad didn’t even really say anything because I think he knew he didn’t need to–my answer was embarassingly weak. It wasn’t long after that, that I realized that it was time to walk away from that relationship. He wasn’t a bad person, we just were unequally yoked in nearly every department. I felt so obligated to stay with him because we’d been together for a long time and we …
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I wrote last week about how I learned to love and forgive a family member that was completely different than me. Here’s that blog if you’d like to read it. From that blog, a question was posed to me. I’d like to take this blog to answer it.
Question: How do you navigate a relationship with someone who is so vastly different in every single belief, behavior, action etc?
I think the answer lies in degrees. Different relationships will require different navigation. I don’t have experience in all these situation, but for the ones I do, I’ll try to give some examples.
Acquaintances
When I first moved to Vegas, I needed to find a hairdresser. I read reviews online for a great place and called and made my appointment. When I got to the salon, I saw my hairdresser for the first time and, inside, I was like, “Hmmmm…this could be interesting.” She’s very Vegas and I’m very….uh…Kansas and we’ll just leave it at that. I quickly discovered, though, that she’s awesome. I love chatting with her. Unless she’s blow drying my hair, we laugh and talk like good buddies. I know from small remarks she’s made that our belief sets are completely different. I think she understands this, too, and so we never venture into religion, politics, or anything controversial. I’m so glad that she’s my hairdresser and I always look forward to seeing her. Our relationship is very limited, given the nature of it, and that makes it easy to just skim over the more hot-button topics. So often in life, we get so caught up in “our side” that we miss just the human experience of getting to know people that have different stories, different up-bringings, and different thoughts. With co-workers, acquaintances, and friends that aren’t extremely close, navigating those relationships isn’t or shouldn’t be too hard. Just enjoy the person. Learn to listen without having a debate about everything and get to know them.
Close Friends
When you are trying to navigate the area of friendship, things get a little more complicated. If you ever want to truly be close with someone you are going to have to go a little deeper than coffee break room chit-chat. The best thing to remember about friends is that you want to surround yourself with people of virtue and those that truly want to help you grow into a great person. Friends that encourage you to do things that aren’t becoming of you or that try to steer you down paths that you know are against your core beliefs are ones to walk away from. Our friends influence our thoughts and behaviors quite a bit, so if they stand for things we know are seriously wrong, stepping away from them is usually best.
I had a friend in college that engaged in some very questionable behavior. She was a blast to be around and she was always the life of the party, but I completely disagreed with certain things that she thought were okay. After awhile, she started encouraging me to engage in her same lifestyle choices and, sadly, I had to walk away. I still missed her for the good things about her, but her negative influence was weighing on me.
Parents and other family members
I can’t say it any better than this. Rocker Andrew W. K. gives some great advice that works for anyone.
Boyfriends/Girlfriends
When I was a senior in high school, I fell for one of the school bad boys. Deep down he wasn’t really a bad person, but he played the part very well: He smoked, drank, had tattoos, dropped out of school, and lived for working on cars, fishing, and hanging with his buddies. I was drawn in by his looks and his looks held me for awhile. Slowly, though, our differences began to seep out, but I ignored them because 1. I thought I could change him and 2. I was young.
We got engaged, but I never felt gleeful about it. In fact, it sort of weighed on my heart like a heavy brick. I knew I wasn’t supposed to feel this way about being engaged and, if I did, that was a bad sign. I pressed on, though, determined to see us through. What bothered me most was that we were just so different on all fronts. Our beliefs were opposites, our lifestyles were opposites, and there was so little that we saw eye-to-eye on. We fought a lot and I was super frustrated with him most of the time. It came to a point where my initial attraction to his looks could not prop up our relationship anymore.
One time, after we’d had a dramatic temporary break-up, I was sitting on my parent’s front porch crying. My dad came up and asked me what was going on and I told him. He said, “Amy, if this is who you want to be with, I respect that, but what does he offer to your life? Why do you enjoy being with him?”
“I love him,” was my answer.
To which my dad said, “Okay, but think about being married to him. You are two very different people. What does he offer to you that makes you stay?”
“Well, we teach each other things.”
“Uh huh, like what? What does he teach you?”
“Well, he teaches me about deer and hunting and stuff.” Even as I type this now, I can’t believe I ever uttered that. Deer and stuff? Deer and stuff was supposed to sustain a marriage? My dad didn’t even really say anything because I think he knew he didn’t need to–my answer was embarassingly weak. It wasn’t long after that, that I realized that it was time to walk away from that relationship. He wasn’t a bad person, we just were unequally yoked in nearly every department. I felt so obligated to stay with him because we’d been together for a long time and we …
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]]>There are many, many perks to military life and one of them is exploring this great country (or other countries if you are really lucky). While reading crusty, tedious history books as a kid, I never thought I’d revel in exploring our country’s rich past. But now, these places are not only coming to life, but are becoming a part of me. Living in Virginia enables my family to experience historical possibilities that enrich our lives.
With that said, each year for our birthdays, Dustin and I try to plan a special trip. We usually try to surprise each other with a quaint bed and breakfast and some sight-seeing adventure. There can be no chain restaurants or hotels–locally owned is the goal. This year for Dustin’s birthday, I planned a trip to Fredericksburg, Virginia. Revolutionary and Civil War here we come!
The place I picked for us to stay is called the Richard Johnston Inn. Architected by one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, it was an upscale inn back in the 1770’s. 1770’s! Then it became the mayor’s home in the 1800’s. How cool is that? It survived both wars, which is remarkable.
And let me tell you…the breakfast. Seriously, it was ah-ma-zing. Here is where it went down.
Omelets, coffee, fresh fruits, cream, tea, bacon. And I didn’t have to make any of it, which, of course, always makes it taste better. Best of all, the staff was extremely accommodating of my gluten intolerance. We also met some great people while having breakfast. This is one of the things Dustin and I love about bed and breakfasts; you always meet interesting and engaging people.
Our room was a comfy, rustic suite and we learned that it was used by slaves as the kitchen. It still had all the original wood and brick flooring. The big fireplace was still there and the remnants of meals cooked over a wood fire still lingered in the air. I always like to visualize the people that used to inhabit the spaces that I’m now leaving my mark on. I could just see in my mind the men and women preparing meals for the wealthy owners. What were their names? Did they ever wonder about the people who would come after them? What could they tell a 21st century family? I love to let my mind wonder about the lives that came before me.
Word is, the inn has a couple friendly ghosts, but we did not encounter any.
Our adventure for the day was to walk through historical downtown Fredericksburg and visit unique “living” museums. The first stop was The Apothecary. This was where you could go and see the “doctor.” I’d say it was more like a guy with a jar of leeches and a hack saw. The workers dress in period clothing and speak to you as if it’s 200 years ago. They enlighten you on the medical advancements of the time, which leaves most people squirming in their seats.
I’ll break it down for you. If it was infected–chop it off. If it was broken–chop it off. If you had something wrong with you that couldn’t be chopped off, slice open a vein and let the blood pour out. If something hurt in your mouth, rip it out. And when all else failed, stick some leeches on you to suck the bad thing out. The tour was extremely educational and I left there with a renewed sense of appreciation for our modern medical knowledge. To make it through just one of those operations, you would’ve had to get me rip-roaring drunk or knock me out with a swift punch to the head. Most likely, though, I would have NEVER gone to the doctor. An 18th century Amy would likely have looked like a Stephen King character: Rotten teeth, infected, dangling limbs, and bad, oozing sores. They were some hard-core people back then.
Our next stop on the tour was The Rising Sun Tavern. This was built by George Washington’s brother, Charles, around 1760. All the connections to the very historical people of our past really bring these places to life. Here, we were introduced to tavern life. From a woman’s prospective, it was interesting to hear how women travelled. They didn’t do it very often, because it was difficult and very expensive. But if a woman did stay at a tavern, she was confined to a few rooms in the house, so as not to have her reputation tarnished by the menfolk staying there. The men were usually drinking, smoking, gambling, and cursing, which was viewed as an improper environment for women and children.
We listened, enthralled, to hear how they operated a tavern without modernities. From sleeping in beds with strangers to make room, to bathing infrequently because they thought it was bad for you, to sleeping with a nightcap on your long hair (for the ladies) so the rats wouldn’t nest in it, the stories were an eye-opening glimpse into the past. Once again, I left there with a new appreciation for my cushy life.
There were many other places to visit on the tour, but, unfortunately, we ran out of time. Plus, we needed to get cupcakes, which naturally has top priority even if you are turning 35. That night, we feasted at a German restaurant called The Bavarian. It is located in an old train depot. Dinner was delicious and gifted our tastebuds with new …
The post Am I Getting Old, or Just Becoming a Nerd? appeared first on .
]]>There are many, many perks to military life and one of them is exploring this great country (or other countries if you are really lucky). While reading crusty, tedious history books as a kid, I never thought I’d revel in exploring our country’s rich past. But now, these places are not only coming to life, but are becoming a part of me. Living in Virginia enables my family to experience historical possibilities that enrich our lives.
With that said, each year for our birthdays, Dustin and I try to plan a special trip. We usually try to surprise each other with a quaint bed and breakfast and some sight-seeing adventure. There can be no chain restaurants or hotels–locally owned is the goal. This year for Dustin’s birthday, I planned a trip to Fredericksburg, Virginia. Revolutionary and Civil War here we come!
The place I picked for us to stay is called the Richard Johnston Inn. Architected by one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, it was an upscale inn back in the 1770’s. 1770’s! Then it became the mayor’s home in the 1800’s. How cool is that? It survived both wars, which is remarkable.
And let me tell you…the breakfast. Seriously, it was ah-ma-zing. Here is where it went down.
Omelets, coffee, fresh fruits, cream, tea, bacon. And I didn’t have to make any of it, which, of course, always makes it taste better. Best of all, the staff was extremely accommodating of my gluten intolerance. We also met some great people while having breakfast. This is one of the things Dustin and I love about bed and breakfasts; you always meet interesting and engaging people.
Our room was a comfy, rustic suite and we learned that it was used by slaves as the kitchen. It still had all the original wood and brick flooring. The big fireplace was still there and the remnants of meals cooked over a wood fire still lingered in the air. I always like to visualize the people that used to inhabit the spaces that I’m now leaving my mark on. I could just see in my mind the men and women preparing meals for the wealthy owners. What were their names? Did they ever wonder about the people who would come after them? What could they tell a 21st century family? I love to let my mind wonder about the lives that came before me.
Word is, the inn has a couple friendly ghosts, but we did not encounter any.
Our adventure for the day was to walk through historical downtown Fredericksburg and visit unique “living” museums. The first stop was The Apothecary. This was where you could go and see the “doctor.” I’d say it was more like a guy with a jar of leeches and a hack saw. The workers dress in period clothing and speak to you as if it’s 200 years ago. They enlighten you on the medical advancements of the time, which leaves most people squirming in their seats.
I’ll break it down for you. If it was infected–chop it off. If it was broken–chop it off. If you had something wrong with you that couldn’t be chopped off, slice open a vein and let the blood pour out. If something hurt in your mouth, rip it out. And when all else failed, stick some leeches on you to suck the bad thing out. The tour was extremely educational and I left there with a renewed sense of appreciation for our modern medical knowledge. To make it through just one of those operations, you would’ve had to get me rip-roaring drunk or knock me out with a swift punch to the head. Most likely, though, I would have NEVER gone to the doctor. An 18th century Amy would likely have looked like a Stephen King character: Rotten teeth, infected, dangling limbs, and bad, oozing sores. They were some hard-core people back then.
Our next stop on the tour was The Rising Sun Tavern. This was built by George Washington’s brother, Charles, around 1760. All the connections to the very historical people of our past really bring these places to life. Here, we were introduced to tavern life. From a woman’s prospective, it was interesting to hear how women travelled. They didn’t do it very often, because it was difficult and very expensive. But if a woman did stay at a tavern, she was confined to a few rooms in the house, so as not to have her reputation tarnished by the menfolk staying there. The men were usually drinking, smoking, gambling, and cursing, which was viewed as an improper environment for women and children.
We listened, enthralled, to hear how they operated a tavern without modernities. From sleeping in beds with strangers to make room, to bathing infrequently because they thought it was bad for you, to sleeping with a nightcap on your long hair (for the ladies) so the rats wouldn’t nest in it, the stories were an eye-opening glimpse into the past. Once again, I left there with a new appreciation for my cushy life.
There were many other places to visit on the tour, but, unfortunately, we ran out of time. Plus, we needed to get cupcakes, which naturally has top priority even if you are turning 35. That night, we feasted at a German restaurant called The Bavarian. It is located in an old train depot. Dinner was delicious and gifted our tastebuds with new …
The post Am I Getting Old, or Just Becoming a Nerd? appeared first on .
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