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God, I don’t know what to write. I only want to be your instrument. I only want to write your words. Are you not speaking any to me? Is silence your message?  If you want to use me as your instrument, then hurry up and do it because we both know I need to go to sleep.

All right then, I suppose I want to say a few things to you. I know you are aware that I am graduating in May. I also know that you have some exciting and fulfilling purpose for me.  So, with knowledge of your good plan, my heart is working on convincing my mind to calm down and trust that you will lead me where you need me. (Read more)

Earlier this month, U.S. President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It was a decision that stirred up a great deal of controversy and indignation from some who protested that the prize was undeserved.  Some dissenters said that the President has merely issued empty promises, but he has failed to make any concrete progress in achieving peace.

In the midst of this debate, I looked up a list of past Nobel Peace Prize winners to identify some of the other individuals and organizations who had been deemed worthy of this distinction.  One individual who caught my eye was the 1979 recipeint of the Nobel Prize. She was a less-controversial candidate and she had left a clear stamp on the effort for peace in the world:. She is Mother Teresa of Calcutta.  30 years ago, the Nobel Committee honored the work of this humble nun who labored without complaint in the streets of Calcutta.  What did Mother Teresa do to help work for peace?  She simply loved.  (Read more)

This weekend I sinned, strayed, fell, whatever the name - I messed up. It was the kind of sin I feel more responsible for than any other. It was the kind I had been working on for months, making sacrifices for, and had been pleading for the grace to overcome. But, when the moment came to choose against the sin, all that preparation vanished from my mind and I chose what I knew was wrong. Later, I felt dumb, dumb, dumb.

I told myself that I had failed. In desperation, I went to the one I had offended and sat in sorrow. The weird thing is I wasn’t there to apologize for hurting Him. Instead, I went to tell Jesus what a horrible person I was. I wanted Him to know that I had failed. I sat there for a long while, beating myself up, asking how I could have allowed myself to fall again.  (Read more)

For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.

(Ecclesiastes 3:1) (Read more)

While trudging along to a 5:00 p.m. theology class, I was exhausted. The whole week was draining from tests to late night study sessions and the classroom was the last place I wanted to be. The teacher began and I did my best to pay attention to the lecture – and to my surprise, the Old Testament, Biblical History class opened my eyes.

Throughout the Old Testament, God was always in favor of his people. No matter what the circumstances were, from the first Fall, to the Israelites’ slavery in Egypt, God truly has always had what is best in mind for all of humanity. This crucial concept to the Judeo-Christian faith is something that is easy to forget, especially in the midst of stressful times, but it remains true nonetheless. It is faith that allows us to constantly remember that God has a plan, a perfect design of life, for each and every one of us. One must bring this faith to all aspects of life and continually praise and thank God for the times when his consolations are both transparent and foggy. (Read more)

As the summer comes to a close, students across the country prepare to head back to school. For many, this means returning to a familiar campus, classes, and friends. But for the freshmen, it is the beginning of an exciting adventure into the unknown. After two years of college, my experiences and observations have given me some insight into the common obstacles that come with the adjustment to college. With this in mind, I would like to offer some advice to those beginning college, and some reminders for those of us who are returning students:

First, the basics. Make sure you stay healthy. College dorms are a petri dish where germs can thrive and sicknesses get passed around like a hot potato. As you make the transition to college, make a real effort to help yourself stay healthy. Eating right can be difficult in a dorm cafeteria, but it is worth the effort to avoid the dreaded "Freshman 15." So is exercising regularly even when your schedule is busy. Also, drink plenty of water, wash your hands often, and try to take a break from all the studying and socializing to get a good night’s sleep. (Read more)

I’d like to welcome new students to college. Many of you have experienced your first syllabus this month. Boxes are filling your dorm rooms, text books are being flown to you from all over the country, and you are experiencing your first college lecture. You have left some good friends, or perhaps they have left you, and you are being thrown into a new environment full of different faces and confusing places. As romantic as beginning college may have seemed, it is most likely not a peaceful experience.

Many freshmen, transfers, or even current students question whether they are supposed to be studying their particular college or university. This wonder comes from the anxiety a place may bring about in their hearts. I know many freshmen who are wary of beginning school in a large secular university and I can’t blame them. I started my college career at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln (UNL). Despite its solid Newman Center, I was still thrust into a world where my neighbors were living morally relativistic, loose lives, and it was advertised everywhere I went. This, I thought, could not be the right place for me. Our first reaction to such a situation is to flee. Some of you who are in this situation are already making plans to transfer. I must beg you to stop! (Read more)

In life, we are constantly faced with challenges and decisions.  How is it possible to know God’s Will when a choice can indelibly change the future? We can find some light on this subject by diving deep into the popular story of Frodo Baggins in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

At the commencement of Frodo’s journey, he is nearly entirely at the mercy of Gandalf and Aragorn. Although they may ask his opinion, he will not make a choice with which they would disagree. It is very easy for Frodo to be in congruence with their wills because they are a near and ready source of protection, and they have strong, noble voices that reflect truth. As a Christian, one often feels as Frodo does. God seems near at hand and we can hear his omniscient voice clearly. This is the first step in making a grave decision, seeking the voice of God that is near at hand and asking for His good guidance. For a majority of decisions, when one is near God, the path is paved by the Holy Spirit. Our peace and confidence are easily upheld when we feel God guiding each step.  (Read more)

Last August, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi caused a stir when she made some questionable statements on Meet the Press.  Pelosi described herself as an “ardent, practicing Catholic,” and said that abortion is an issue that she has “studied for a long time.”  She then went on to say that abortion is an “issue of controversy” in the Church, one that has never been definitively decided one way or the other.

This statement is blatantly false.  The Church is very clear about her teachings on abortion.  Furthermore, modern science supports the Church’s teachings that life begins at conception.  There is really no room for differing opinions on this matter. (Read more)

“The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.” (Gen. 2:15)

As the hot sun beat down on my neck and the sweat dripped from my brow, I put the umpteenth shovelful of dirt into a wheelbarrow. Over and over again I underwent the same process: dig, scoop, lift, and dump. This is just one of the many tasks of manual labor I take on every summer, along with mowing lawns, raking leaves, and sweeping up sand. At first I did these jobs around the neighborhood for some extra cash in my pocket. Little did I know these monotonous jobs would have an enormous and beneficial impact on my life. (Read more)

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