My date with some Baptists in the boat of Jesus

A few months ago I was invited to speak to a group of men at their monthly prayer breakfast and did so this past weekend. The breakfast was at LakeWay Baptist Church in The Colony, about 8 miles away. 

There are some pretty significant theological differences between Baptists and Catholics so I wasn't sure if that would somehow be a hindrance to my presentation, but I was determined to be who I am and to let the Holy Spirit do the real work. 

Oh, their pastor was there too. He didn't run me off or rebuke me or anything so I guess the Holy Spirit being in charge worked. ;-)

Seriously, it was a great experience for me, and I believe the men enjoyed our time together as well.

I was asked to talk about my experience through Hurricane Katrina, and more specifically, how my faith sustained me and my family through that trying time. I did talk about those experiences, but also about the other storms, the various unnamed storms of life that are every bit as turbulent, dangerous, and even deadly.

When I was preparing, I set out to make some brief "bullet point" notes or outline to follow, but that's never really been my style. In fact, I always work backwards. I write out what I want to say, and then make the outline afterwards. But this time, I just left my presentation completely written out; all ten pages.

When I practiced, I found myself looking at the pages often, and that worried me. There's probably nothing worse than having a presenter read from notes. I think I was worried about what I might forget to say or that I would leave out something that was important.

In the end, as I said, I just asked the Holy Spirit to do the work, and all went great. My notes were there as a security blanket (I guess I will always have control issues) but since the presentation was very personal, I used them probably even less than if I had used an outline instead.

As we prayed afterwards, nearly all of the men picked up on the "storm" theme, affirming to me that all of us are facing some storm or another throughout our lives. More affirming though was that it was evident that the true message was delivered and received appropriately.

That is that we are in the boat of Jesus. It's His boat, not ours. When we forget that we are in the boat of Jesus, when we take our eyes off of Him and focus on the storm - how powerful it is instead of how powerful God is, and what it might do to us, how it might hurt us, what it might take away from us - we are in danger of drowning; in every way a man can drown.

As it turns out, there were a few things that I didn't say, some things I thought were significant, but in the end I guess they really were not.

But here's the point I actually set out to make with this post: I was moved by what I witnessed as the Holy Spirit working in these men's lives. It seemed to be reciprocal. Because we all opened our hearts to God and allowed Him to be in control during that time, not focusing on what separates us but on what unites us, we were able to allow Him to accomplish some new work in all of our lives.

My date with those Baptist Christian men in the boat of Jesus was a very uplifting experience.

Father, that we may all be One. +++

Viva la Vida: When Kendra First Heard the Call

The day after Christmas; it's probably a day that many people spend trying to relax and recuperate. For some, it is a day to return to their jobs, trying to focus on their particular work, difficult as that may be.

Our garbage disposal broke during the afternoon on Christmas Eve. I'm not too good at repairing things or installing replacements, so I intended to buy a new disposal and pay someone to install it. But a friend suggested to me that it was an "easy fix", and although that generally means "only moderately difficult" for me, I was able to successfully get the job done.

Naturally I feel accomplished by this, and normally it would be noteworthy in the annals of Donkey-do's, but December 26 is already a special date to me - for multiple reasons, all of which are much more special than my figuring out some DIY task.

As I mentioned last year (in this post), December 26 is the feast day of my patron saint (Saint Stephen), the anniversary of Brandon's baptism, the anniversary of the first time Kendra attended Mass with me - when Kendra went all but kicking and screaming yet heard the Holy Spirit speaking to her, and one of many times God reminded me that He knows what He's doing, and it's best for me to get out of His way sometimes.

Get it together

It was 2004, and God had already been "working" on me. After more than a decade away I was attending Mass. With the help of my pastor (Fr. Dennis Hayes), my reconciliation and spiritual life were taking shape. Unfortunately, Kendra was not on board - not even close.

Unbaptized and perhaps best described as agnostic at the time, it's easy to understand why Kendra was confused by my seemingly sudden transformation. Until a person feels the tug of the Holy Spirit for themselves, it's difficult to comprehend what that means.

Compounding this was some not-so-positive experiences she had in the past and my mistake of thinking it was my responsibility to persuade or influence her to "find" Jesus. The whole thing was taking a toll on our marriage. And why not? I was no longer the person she had married.

Now we were at a point where I was beginning to learn that it was my responsibility to introduce my wife to Jesus, but that things would be best if I left the "real work" to Him - beginning to anyway.

Get her to the church - this time

Brandon was born on November 27, and although Kendra had already agreed that he could be baptized, there was never an agreement or commitment by her to attend or to have any part in it or his religious life whatsoever. In fact, hours before Mass that morning she told me that she thought she would just stay home. I casually said "Okay", and began getting ready - quietly telling God that I trusted Him, but that I would really appreciate if He would somehow get her to change her mind.

Soon afterward, Kendra began getting ready and said she would go. We would sit in the back row though, and she reminded me that this was not something that she was looking forward to. Check.

I'm so smart

Despite the tension, I was excited that she was coming. I was sure that she would really "get something" out of Fr. Dennis' Homily. Right up until the time that I realized it was the deacon's weekend to preach.

"Come on God! What are You doing? This is not the way I planned it." Those are the exact words that went through my head as Deacon Al Miester was about to begin speaking. Instantly though, bumps raised on my arms, and I could feel the blood escaping from my face along with a tingle down my neck and back.

God reminded me that I am a silly little man, that He is God, and He knows what He's doing.

It was the Feast of the Holy Family. Deacon Al began to talk about his mother - that she was not Catholic, but had agreed to have him baptized.

This message was for Kendra. I knew it. But did she? Was she even paying attention? I simply prayed as he continued, speaking of how his mother was the parent to teach him about the Catholic Faith - and how one day, because of her study of the Faith in order to properly dispense such to her son, his mother decided to convert to the Catholic Faith herself.

Brandon was baptized. We went home and had a little family celebration. I said nothing about the obvious. I dared not get in God's way with my silly little foot in my silly little mouth.

Shut up and brush your teeth

The next morning, Kendra approached me while I was brushing my teeth. "That was interesting what that man - what do you call him, a deacon? - what he said yesterday." she said. 

I kept brushing.

"Did you ever feel like someone was talking directly to you, like you were the only one in the room - even though there were a bunch of people around?" she asked.

I kept brushing - wanting to pop.

"What do you call that?"

A question. I asked God to help me not louse it up. "That's the Holy Spirit Kendra." I said, "It's called the Holy Spirit - working in the deacon and working in you."

I went back to brushing. Very clean teeth that day.

"I feel like I'm supposed to do something. What am I supposed to do?" she asked honestly.

Again, doing my best to finally trust God, I told her exactly what to do. Okay, not really. "I don't know Kendra. That's between you and God. I suppose you should ask the Holy Spirit what to do next."

I went back to brushing, and thanking God quietly.

Things were about to get really different around our house.

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Other posts in the Viva la Vida series

What Kind of Man am I?

I have developed a morning routine. The first part of my routine, waking (for the day) at 4:00 in the morning, has raised the eyebrows of the few persons I've shared this with. I can see that distant look on their faces probably wondering what in the world is wrong with me.

It started quite by accident. I woke up one morning and just couldn't get back to sleep. So, I made some coffee and decided to make the best use of the quiet time that I could. I began praying. It stuck.

There are a few variances in the line-up of prayers, but always include the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours, the daily Mass readings and meditation from The Word Among US, a reflection on the Saint of the Day from Laudate, and some interior personal prayer seeking the help of the Lord to be a better husband, father, and all of the "roles" to which I subscribe in life; in short, to become the man that God calls me to be.

Inevitably

Inevitably, around 6:23, I begin making breakfast for Brandon and Monica so that it is just about ready when they arrive to the table.

Inevitably, things don't go as planned. They are 8 and 5 you know.

This morning? Yes; the inevitable.

First, Monica did not want to wake up. Then she procrastinated getting to the table. Of course she was not happy with what I prepared and mad that I had failed to buy milk after I poured the last of the jug for their breakfast yesterday.

Brandon did not like the way Monica was eating her breakfast and decided that she needed a stern lecture from him regarding the proper consumption of the food in her plate.

Monica (who is 5 going on 16 and believes that if anyone is going to lecture anyone else about how to do something, she's going to be the one doing the lecturing) did not take kindly to Brandon's brotherly intervention.

The arguing started. I intervened. It continued. I got louder. It continued. I got mad and more forceful. It continued. I let them have it. I "told them how the cow ate the cabbage." We had a "come to Jesus meeting." Use whatever little metaphorical quote you like as long as you come to the conclusion that I lost my temper - and had no intention of looking for it either.

Uggg! Brandon became completely still and quiet. The expression on his face completely changed. He quickly took the last few bites he had remaining of his food, gulped down the last of his juice, placed his plate in the sink, and scurried out of the kitchen.

I called him back, and he quickly returned. His face was a bit reddish, and his eyes were watery. I pulled him close and hugged him with the best "I'm sorry that I lost my temper, and I really love you" hug that I could give. He cried. It hurt. I teared.

I Should Be Better

I should be better at this fatherhood business. Brandon and Monica are not my first rodeo in the children's department. There's Joel (27), Amanda (25), and Michael (23); all of whom I have enjoyed and lamented various stages or levels of interpersonal relationships with.

I want to believe that Brandon and Monica have benefited from the difficult lessons I have learned and from my successes and failures in my relationships with my older children.

I know that in many ways, they have. Sometimes though, I believe that has more to do with how inadequate I have been in the past rather than how paternally adequate I am at present.

Inevitably, What Kind of Man am I?

What kind of man am I? Really; because it's not just today. It's not just the children. As much as I would like to deny it, before the day is through, I will inevitably be short-tempered, sarcastic, moody, or outright mean towards my wife. The woman is a saint to put up with me in this marriage. No, she really is a saint. You can read all about it here.

Inevitably (are you seeing a pattern here?) I will say something in a tone or manner to one or both of my parents that I will later regret.

I won't pick up the phone to make a call that I know I should but just can't bring myself to do it.

Instead of praying for that jerk who drives like he owns the road, I'll get mad and yell "You've gotta be kidding me!" I'd feel better if I could just stay calm and let it go.

I'll get mad at friends and acquaintances on social media sites or blogs that make posts that are offensive, inappropriate, or in some way fail to meet the expectations that I have set for them.

I'll become frustrated with some (or all) politicians and the failure of the media to invest itself in real journalism rather than slant its "reporting" in the hopes of milking more of those who invest (money and themselves) into their broadcasts.

Inevitably, I will become upset or even angry at people I know and people I don't know - and over things that matter and things that are really silly as well.

What kind of man am I?

Convicted, Accused, or Left Alone?

Last year I wrote a blog post "Are you convicted, accused, or left alone?"

Those deeply lost in sin are blinded, deaf, and numb to the convictions of conscience. In essence, they're so far gone that even the devil leaves them alone.

The feeling of accusation pulls us down, attempts to chain us to our sinful nature and attempts to cripple us from moving forward with God. It cannot be of or from God.

When we feel convicted, we are feeling that tug of the Holy Spirit which helps us face the truth that we have sinned and need to be reconciled with God. But even deeper, it leads to repentance and a desire to get back up and try harder.

Knowing I had hurt Brandon, I had those feelings of accusation.

What kind of man are you!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

When Necessary, Use Words

Was that 2 hours (or better) of prayer this morning all for nothing? If this is the way I am going to react to my children, to my family, to my friends, to anyone, what's the point?

In a moment - I don't really know how long in the chronos because it was a Kairos moment - the Holy Spirit (The Comforter) dispelled the accusation and brought me to conviction. That's the point; the point that prayer helped to lead me to "repentance and a desire to get back up and try harder."

I knew that I couldn't let Brandon go to school feeling there was animosity or worse, hostility between us. The silent embrace we shared healed the hurt between us.

Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words. (St. Francis of Assisi) 

Irenic Herald

Remember Joel? Last month, Joel made a post on his own blog (Irenic Herald) titled "The Most Manly Man."

I wasn't surprised to be mentioned since he had done so before. I was surprised though to read what he wrote.

This man is the most imperfect, vulnerable, loving, and honest man that I know. He isn't the best by a long shot, and he accepts that and every day he does his best to be the best child of God, husband, and father that he can be. He knows that we are not complete or successful until we have served the Lord and other people and are resting in God's Kingdom. My father, George Vogt IV, is one of the most amazing men I have ever known, and truly, I have learned so much from watching his failures... but not the failures themselves. I've learned from watching his reactions to all of his challenges in life.

Thank you Joel for reminding me of what kind of man I am.

Irenic - favoring, conducive to, or operating toward peace, moderation, or conciliation (Merriam Webster)

Can We Break Through the Ice?

It's been ten days since my last blog post on Holy Saturday. During Holy Week, I blogged each day about the Passion of Jesus through the eyes of multiple witnesses.

We have experienced the Resurrection of Jesus and are now in the Easter season. But the reality of the world and its condition remains.

After the Resurrection, Jesus appeared repeatedly to His disciples. In some instances, they did not recognize Him. At first, this seems strange that those who spent years with Jesus did not recognize Him. But Mark tells us that He appeared "in another form".

There were the disciples who did not recognize Him, even as He laid out the prophesies before them, but they recognized Him in the breaking of the bread.

And Peter recognized Him when, as He commanded, they dropped their nets after a day of catching nothing and were unable to pull the fish (153, the number categorized by Greek zoologists, thought to symbolize the universal <catholic> mission) into the boat. Perhaps he remembered the first time he encountered Jesus, and the words, "I will make you fishers of men."

And the encounter with Thomas......

Yet, even after these encounters, and even after seeing Him  "lifted up, and a cloud took Him from their sight", it wasn't until Pentecost, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that they truly embraced the mission of Christ's Church.

During the fifty days between the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus until Pentecost, we should be reflecting upon our baptismal call and what it means to be Christians.

Easter Sunday has passed, but as I stated earlier, the reality of a broken world remains. There is no shortage of bad news and mind-blowing accounts of atrocities, along with threats and fears and all sorts of disease and ailments.

If we cannot see beyond these things, it will be difficult to recognize the risen Jesus, and we can lose hope.

Jesus is with us in the Eucharist, the Bread of Life. Do we recognize Him in the breaking of the Bread?

At the end of Mass, we are sent out to continue the mission of the Church. Do we leave worried about what  we "got out of" or did not "get out of" Mass? Can we possibly be so bold as to not recognize Jesus, brush him aside and wonder "What's in it for me?"

We should leave asking "What is it that God is calling me to today? Who is God calling me to today?"

I can certainly be guilty of focusing too much on the icy world around me. Perhaps you can say the same. These things are distractions from the Truth and the eternal reality.

The great news is that we don't have to rely on ourselves. We have the Holy Spirit to help us to fulfill our calling, to accomplish the mission of God, and to help us to see beyond our doubts to the Hope of the Resurrection.

Let's help the world to break through this temporal ice; to rise up and live in the Life of Christ!

Lent: Where's the Beef?

When I was a Junior in high school, Wendy's had a hit television commercial. In it, three ladies receive their burgers from a competitor. The ladies seemingly receive huge burgers. However, when the crowns of the buns are lifted, it is revealed that the patties are so tiny that they are almost undetectable. This prompts one of them to angrily ask "Where's the beef?"

The phrase has been used repeatedly in various formats, so it is more than likely that some have used the phrase having no idea of its origin.

The same may hold true for many who abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during Lent; doing it but not really knowing why.

Last week, I decided to dedicate short posts on Fridays during Lent to briefly examine why we abstain from meat on these particular days. In that first post, I stated

In the simplest sense, abstaining from meat is a very small sacrifice which reminds us of THE sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

Abstaining from meat is a form of PENANCE 

The Holy Spirit brings our sins to light, and although this rightly brings conviction, it is the same Spirit, which is the Consoler, Who gives us the Grace which prompts our repentance and aids in our ongoing conversion.

Penance expresses our contrition for our sins and our intention to turn away from sin and our attachment to it. If we are abstaining without ever giving thought as to why we are abstaining, we are completely missing the point.

While abstaining is a reminder to us of the need for penance in our lives, ultimately Jesus calls us to penance which is prompted by, preceded by the interior conversion. Rightly ordered, it is the interior which prompts the exterior.

When the Church says "do not eat meat on Fridays during Lent", unfortunately it is the outward act which receives the attention. However, the Church is giving us this very small and very simple directive, a precept of the Church, to help us to recognize that we are to grow, to mature beyond a small mandate onto deeper expressions which spring from the interior conversion of the heart.
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Related posts:
What Do You Mean You Don't Eat No Meat During Lent!?
Are you convicted, accused, or left alone?

Soul Wars; Let "The Force" Use You, Luke; A New Hope

Today is the Feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist.

In the epic movie "Star Wars; A New Hope" the hero, Luke Skywalker, hears the voice of friend and mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi telling him, "Use the Force Luke." Luke channels and thus controls the power of the Force to combat the Evil Empire and its agents. Among these is the feared Darth Vader.

In the following episode, "The Empire Strikes Back", in a very dark moment, Luke learns that Vader is actually his father. It is in this moment that Vader tells Luke, "Search your feelings Luke. You know it to be true." Luke thought he was ready for the confrontation with "the dark side", but Vader knows that Luke has not properly trained as a Jedi.

Who can forget Yoda's admonition, "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will."

Being a fan of the entire Star Wars series, I have become fond of many quotes (And aren't those light saber battles the best?). I admit, almost anytime I hear the name Luke, the "use the Force" quote pops into my head. So this morning as I prayed Morning Prayer on this feast, I could not overcome the "thoughts in my head".

Unlike the hero in Star Wars though, Saint Luke does not "use the Force" in an attempt to control it, thus bringing about his own will. No, Saint Luke allows himself to be used by the true Force, Almighty God.

As Christians, we are all called to allow God to use us to His desire, His plan for us and the world. There may be nothing new in what I have said here, but I think it deserves a true "search" of our hearts (not our feelings).

I think we can be guilty of trying to "use" God sometimes. You know, when we are praying in any manner other than "Thy Will be done". Guilty? I sure am.

The Holy Spirit, our friend and mentor, is speaking alright. But we are not being directed to manipulate God to fight our own battles. We are being directed to be used by God in the battle for souls. And it is not in "feelings" that He speaks to us. It is in our hearts.

Like the Jedi, we Christians must also train for the battle. It is important that we seek to properly form our consciences, lest we find ourselves unfit and not ready for the confrontations of life nor the ability to properly discern when "the dark side" is distorting the truth.

God wants us to know that He is our Father. But He wants us to choose Him freely, not manipulated by the feelings or emotions of a moment, but by life-long conversion. And He wants us to know that He is more powerful than "the dark side". He has the power to save us from being "forever consumed". It is God Who truly gives us a new Hope.

And as we cooperate with the Grace of God more and more in our lives, we are able to wield the real light saber, the light of Jesus Christ, not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, the powers, the world rulers of this present darkness, and the evil spirits in the heavens.

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This "episode" is dedicated to my son Joel.