Have you ever heard someone say that the key to having a successful business is location, location, location? Or that one of the keys to success is being in the right place at the right time? And so it is with the vocation of fatherhood. The success of your vocation depends upon your spiritual location. “Where are you?” were the first …
Often, when a person is given a role, a job, or a duty that someone else — who has skill, talent, and great capability—previously had, someone will inevitably say to them, “You have some big shoes to fill.” You and I have experienced such moments in our own lives, when we have been asked to “step up” and be the …
Have you ever trekked the grounds of a cemetery wondering if any of these people are remembered by those living on this earth today, and if they are remembered, for what precisely are they remembered? If you look closely at those gravestones you will notice that none of the chiseled words bear the titles of Engineer, Software Developer, Computer Programmer, …
Have you ever met someone who avoids looking you in the eyes? He looks around you, but not into you? Have you ever struggled to make or retain eye contact with someone? Why do people avoid the gaze of another? The simple answer is that we are all afraid—afraid that the other may see something in us that we don’t want …
The short answer is: yes, a father can be a saint. We know that it is possible, but is it probable? Sometimes we fathers have received an idea that we’ve not so much been taught as much as caught: that sainthood is for the monks, priests, nuns, religious, scholars, and theologians. Somewhere along the way we’ve come to believe that …
Have you ever considered who the world’s most important man is? There are hosts of men who are marked by the character and attributes of power, influence, and popularity. Presidents of nations, popes, founders of megachurches, software developers, authors, philanthropists, investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, professors, professional athletes, actors, and inventors are commonly considered candidates who might qualify to meet this noble …
Making the Theological Practical One of the greatest challenges in transmitting divine truth is to make things that are theological understandable; to make things that are theological practical. God’s intention is to make the theological practical, while also intending that the practical direct us toward the theological. God desires that His very theology be practiced in our lives, and that …
Question of Courage How many of you desire to be courageous, confident? Take a moment and rate yourself 1–10. How courageous are you? How many of you lack courage? Those who admit it are perhaps the most courageous among us. Test your courage and confidence by answering the following questions: Do you become jealous? Jealousy indicates a lack of confidence. …
The Mother of All Curse Words My brother’s family has several family traditions that are highly influenced by their Catholic faith, one of those being that they do not say the “A” word—Alleluia—during Lent. Another custom by which they abide is that they don’t say the “F” word, that is, “fart.” A couple of years ago, during Lent, my brother’s …
Suffering: A Means to Glory This has been a message that has been stirring in my heart and it is my hope that it will compel you and motivate you to see and confront the battle that is laid out before you—the battle of your life and of your vocation. During our last session we discussed the idea that God …
