Stay Active

Adoration, youth group, reading the Bible, listening to Christian artists... All of these are great things to do and I do each routinely throughout my day. BUT there is so much more to be thought about. We are called to serve the Lord by serving others. Do this everyday. Do this without asking for anything in return. Do this to glorify God! Why else, right?... So, how do I serve and who do I serve? Look for people in need around you. Every person could use some help or love at some point. Just ask your friends, family, or strangers how they are doing. See what you can do for them.

Try to shine in other people's lives as Jesus shines for us. Be that light in the world.

May God bless you!

How have you gotten to where you are?

You didn't get to where you are alone. Everyone around you has helped shape who you are since the day you were born, whether it be parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, teachers, youth group leaders, best friends, old friends, boyfriends, girlfriends and anyone else you've met in your life. God puts people into our lives in order to help us become the person He has meant for us to be.

I look back at my life before I've gotten to where I am now. Without my grandparents, my parents never would have been raised in a loving, God-filled home and I probably wouldn't have been baptized or sent to a Catholic grade school. Without my teachers who taught me even when I didn't care, I never would have learned the basics of Christian teachings. Without a welcoming youth group leader, I never would have gone to my church's youth group, which is where I found my faith in God. Without a friend's invitation, I never would have gone to Mass on Sundays. Without the CORE adults in my youth group pushing me to learn, I would have settled into complacency in my faith and never would have grown in it. Without God in my life, I wouldn't be even half as happy or fulfilled as I am today.

We all need to take a look back into our lives and know that we have been guided to where we are today. We have never been left alone, even in our darkest times. God and those who He works through have always been with us. Let us be thankful for all who have helped form the people we have become and always remember that we are also shaping the people around us.

God bless!!

New Year, New Self

The year of 2011 has ended today. For some, it's a relief. For others, it's sad to leave the good memories. But whether we enjoyed 2011 or not, we are now given a fresh start in 2012. This new year is going to be what we make it. We need to learn from our past mistakes and regrets, so that we can make 2012 a year to be remembered as enjoyable and positive. We need to take all of the blessings and good that came from 2011 and bring them to 2012.

The new year represents a second chance where we can make ourselves better versions of ourselves and who God truly wants us to be. This is the time of year when everyone makes resolutions and promises on what they'll do for the following year. "I'll work out twice a week," "I'll eat healthier," "I'll spend more time with family," etc. Of course, all of those are wonderful things to do, but why not try and make a new year's resolution about your faith life? Why not promise to pray every day, or go to Mass every Sunday, or spend more time with Jesus? Spiritual resolutions can allow us to fully embrace God and make 2012 an incredible year. We should commit less to physical and earthly things and more to our Creator and Savior and devoting our lives to Him.

God bless and Happy New Year!