We know we were made for holiness. We know that we need to shine our light. But what if we don’t have any light to shine? What if we can’t find our light at all? Not to worry – we’ve been given directions. Some of them are challenging, some of them may seem out of reach at times, but all of them are there to help us get where we need to go. Today’s verses reminds us what our attitude should be. No matter what. Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! (Phil 4

As we move to a life of holiness, it can be a little scary. We think it will be too hard, that it will demand too much of us, and that we will have no place in the life we want to live. I beg to differ. The hard part is the hiding it, don’t you think? How intimidated are we when there is a chance to talk about our faith? The topic of religion comes up often with me. As soon as someone asks what I do, I have to tell them that I am an inspirational writer. The questions always

What were we created for? Our souls know it, every part of us knows it. We were designed for holiness. We were actually made for it. Nothing else can fulfill us the way that holiness can. Imagine taking a chair and riding it to work or school. You could do it, I guess. It would be a little easier if it had wheels, but it would be really difficult and not efficient at all. On the other had, sitting in a chair is easy. There’s really no effort, no thinking about what to do on i

I asked a group of middle school girls, “Who wants to be a saint?” Tentatively two of the ten raised their hands, and the rest were very clearly shaking their heads "no." The reasons were all about the same – Sainthood is for people who are really holy, who do a lot for others, and who are pretty perfect. An eighty-year-old Mother Theresa would never fit into the middle school social scene, and they had no interest in living that way. Don’t we see sainthood in a similar way?

On Friday, I talked about how humans are the only creatures who seek God. Throughout human history, we have looked beyond ourselves and felt that there was something more. However, as I work my way through the book of Genesis, it is clear that we take that need to find God and turn around it all kinds of different ways. It doesn't take long at all to get started. Only three chapters. Creation is finished, God is resting, we are looking for trouble. Eve stands at the tree talk

What is it that makes us human? It's hard to tell sometimes. Is it intelligence? I'm pretty sure that there are some squirrels in my back yard that could beat me on some intelligence tests. The use of tools? That one has been debunked. Emotional attachment? Elephants have been shown to have incredibly strong attachments that last over years of separation. So, what is it? Why do we hold a such a special place in God's creation? I recently read the first chapters of Genesis and

Generally this is the least popular Fruit of the Spirit, but in reality it is the most beautiful. This is where we live most fully the value that we have in God’s eyes. We are precious, beautiful creations who are to be treasured, honored, and loved. We are to treat ourselves this way and then extend that gift to others. If we could see others through God's eyes, we would never think of using them for our own pleasure or purposes. They would be too precious. If we could see o

Last week, all the Catholic dioceses in Texas announced that they will have an independent group review documents and relate the names of all priests credibly accused of abuse from 1950 on. You can read about it here. There are several things in this article that I celebrate and give me hope. First, that the bishops called for this investigation rather than continuing to wait for someone else to do it. Second, that the investigation is being done by people outside the hierarc

These last ones are hard, aren't they? Modesty, self-control? How are we supposed to have any fun? We forget that these fruits are not restrictions but results. These are not things that are demanded of us, they are things that flow from our being immersed in and overflowing with the Holy Spirit. God's very Spirit living within us - unrestricted and incredibly active. When we live this way, nothing else can have control over us. Nothing else has the power to overcome the powe

We hate this word, don't we? When we think of modesty, most of us picture ugly clothes, dreary hair, and no exposed skin. Or we assume it entails having the personality of a doormat, never taking credit for yourself and allowing others to step on you as they work their way up. The Holy Spirit has no desire for us to be anything less that incredible. God made us and it was good, remember? We were made in God's own image, and that isn't anything to cover up at all. Instead, mod