What If?

A Scary Question!

"What" and "If" are two words as non-threatening as words can be. But put them together side-by-side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life: What if? What if? What if?

                                                                                            ~Letters to Juliet~      

OK OK, so ignore the fact that that the quote I just used was from a chick flick. They fit! Yeah these two posts are really close together (or at least they are when I started this one!) But like I said, I just got inspiration to write about this, and when I do I need to write or I'll lose what I wanted to say! And if you know me.... well I talk just a little too much! So it's better for me to get things out here.

I'm doing something I haven't done so far, and don't normally plan on doing, but this time needed it. The topic tonight is exactly the title. It comes from one of my heroes, Mark Hart. And it leads to the true topic tonight. So I guess maybe I'm not so far off after all. Without further ado, the topic of the night...

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What If?    

What if is a scary question to ask. It's one that can get us into a lot of trouble. It can waste a life. What if I'd chosen not to do that? What if I'd said yes? What if I did move? What if? Like the quote said above, those two little tiny words can make you rethink your life a million times over. But they have power to evoke great change in your life. Why is this the topic of the night? Well it's leading into the true topic.

The Eucharist

The source and summit of our faith. Jesus Christ truly present, body, blood, soul, and divinity. The greatest gift humanity has ever been given. Even the angels cannot receive this gift! The true presence of Christ is also one of the hardest things in all of existence to accept. Notice I didn't say understand. I don't think any of us will really ever fully understand it. But accept. It's one of the things that is non-negotiable of the Catholic faith. (If you're not Catholic and you haven't figured it out by now, this one's kinda geared towards them. Feel free to read though!) ... (In fact do read!) ... (And tell your friends too!) ... (But now I'm getting off topic...)

But even though we profess to believe it, so many people in their heart of hearts don't! And you know what? I don't judge them at all. I have to pray all the time for help in that area. Rather I pray for them too. It's such a beautiful gift if we take time to process the full impact of it. And yet so many people go up to receive it each and every weekend not knowing. Not believing. Oh it's just a piece of bread. Oh let's hurry so we can get out of the parking lot. Oh I wonder what I'm doing later.

What if?

I understand it's hard to believe. But Mark Hart offers an amazing prayer. I learned about it at a life night recently and it's stuck with me since then. It doesn't take long to pray, but it can change your life. If you're struggling with the True Presence, or even if you're not and you just want a different form of meditation, try this.

The next time you go up for communion, even if you don't believe pray "God, what if that's really you?"

Two small words.

What if?

What if that's really God? What would that mean? What amazing gifts would that bring? How could my life change if I really believed that? What if that bread is no longer bread, but the King of the Universe?

What if?

It's such an impactful prayer if you are willing to be open to the answers you might receive. It's not easy to believe in the Eucharist. It's such a very very difficult thing that God asks us to do. But the benefits are so much more. So next time ask... What If?

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Yeah, this one was shorter, but it needed to be! I just really wanted to share this message! I'm really just repeating what others have told me so I TAKE NO CREDIT FOR WHAT WAS SAID IN THIS POST. It was really just a compilation of what others have told me.

Here's the talk Mark Hart gave to help:

http://fathershane.com/post/12560757184/awesome-reflection-by-mark-hart-what-if-jesus-is

Let's see... verse and song, that's what's missing!

Verse is easy! John 6:35: 

"I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never go thirsty"

He said it, not me!

And now for the song!

From "What If" by Nichole Nordeman:

"But what if you're wrong? What if there's more?
What if there's hope you've never dreamed of hoping for?
What if You jump? Just close your eyes.
What if the arms that catch you, catch you by suprise?
What if He's more than enough?
What if it's love?"

What if?

I think I'll write more on the Eucharist soon. There's so much that needs to be said!

Two in one day! Man! Hope they're good!

Until next time, God Bless!

~Wanted~

         

Do you trust Me?

He IS the fulfillment of all desire!

Summer's been so slow on writing, but so fast on growth! So many new experiences, new friends, new relationships, a new me. The life lessons I've learned and the people I've met will stay with me forever. It's been a roller-coaster of a summer - I've had my ups and downs, but God is good all the time and all the time God is good. Each and every experience I had was for a reason, and I wouldn't trade a single one.

I guess you could say this is my summer wrap up. Maybe I'll have another post this week, I'm not sure. For me, school started Monday. YUCK! That means it's finally time to start all that summer work! Just kidding! Though I should finish that reading!

Summer recap? Work for 7 weeks in an awesome lab with amazing people. Steubenville South - the Eight Day, the dawn of new creation. LTLC!!!!!!!!!! THE highlight of the summer! Living in Radiant Joy! There I met friends who I know will keep me going strong and on the right path. And I finally opened myself up to my vocation. (More on that later). Then came ACTS. I never knew how fulfilling service could be until now. Man I wish it never had to end! But then it's just a beginning right? The beginning of a new life. Of a new me. This summer has me resolved to become a better man. Because I finally feel like a man. Yeah I know that's corny, but it means something to me. To know what it means to be a man. But that's another post for another time.

"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." John 15:13. Going back to my vocation, I think that this quote is meant for us all. I'm finally ready to let go and let God. We all should, but trusting Him is so very, very hard. Therefore the topic tonight is.....

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Dying.... To Yourself

or another way to put it....

Trust Him

Haha no worries, this isn't a blog about death!!! It's all about trust. I started to write this post a week ago, but I just didn't have inspiration for it. When I write, I have to be passionate about it, or it's no good. Well  God gave me that inspiration, just later. Funny how He does things sometimes. All I'm going to say tonight basically boils down to this: If we trust Him we can do all things. If we stray... well then things won't go so well. Many of our problems in life stem from that fact that we are too strong. Say What?? Yes I did just say that. Or rather not that we really are too strong, but that we try to be on our own. We try and try and try on our own, and sometimes we make it, but many times we don't. In Him there is no thing that is impossible; when we become vulnerable He makes us strong.

I learned this past week that far too often God is our last resort. We try to handle our own problems on our own, and things go downhill. We turn to so many different places, and none of them work. Then finally when we are bent and broken and crushed, when all bets are off, when we are on the brink of despair, THEN we turn to God for help. And of course, over time, it all works out. What would happen if each and every time we encountered a problem we turned to Him first? That addiction: gone. That family feud: dissolved. That self-loathing: erased. Now, I'm not saying He's gonna erase all of your problems, because sadly, at least in my experience, that's not how God works. But I am saying that He's gonna help you, so that you don't have to be strong. If you can be vulnerable to God, then He'll open you up to His grace, which is enough to conquer any problem you ever encounter.

So where does this come in with self-sacrifice and trust? Well the reason God is a last resort is that wonderful human part of us that becomes corrupt sometimes: our pride. We are far too often to proud to simply let someone else in and lead us. It's an act of death to self to trust another person. To let another in to make plans for us. See the funny thing is, God already has plans for us! (Jer. 29:11) He just lets us go about making our own plans because, as we are beings with free will, He won't force us to do anything. But His plans are so much greater than ours!!! And if we let Him work right away, He'll save us so much of the heartache that plagues the world today. All it takes is the death of our own plans. The death of our own dreams. The death of our own self in a way.

Oh, that's all. NBD.

.....Yeah right!

It's SOOOOOO difficult. It's no small task God puts us up to. Dying to our own wants and plans and aspirations is not easy at all. And so often our plans seem to be so much clearer than God's. They follow a set path. They seem safe. They seem secure. And yeah, God's path seems like taking the old, falling apart bridge shrouded in mist across a giant chasm that's so deep you can't even see the bottom sometimes. Vivid language, I know. (Hey, sometimes I feel like that!) God's way might seem more uncertain. Sometimes it is. But it's so much better than our way!!

God NEVER promised it'd be easy, He only said it'd be worth it.
Trust isn't necessarily something that comes easy to me. At least not with God. Many times I feel like He has me standing on a ledge and is calling "Jump! I'll catch you!" (Metaphorically, of course!) And I really didn't jump before. I might have accidentally done it, but I'd never really trusted before. This summer I jumped. And it was scary, let me tell you. But in all that time I've never been happier. Or more at peace.

Think about it. I could spend time worrying about how things will work out... or I could let go and let God and see where life takes me! I used to spend all this time making decisions and making sure about 50 times that they were ones I really wanted to make - about the tiniest details! Now I just trust that I am where I need to be when I need to be there, as long as I listen to God. Does that mean I'm an expert? HAHAHAHAHAHA.... no. But I'm getting better.

Sorry... long spiel about me there. Point? Trust Him. It's never an easy thing to do. But it'll make you happy beyond your imagination. Lay down your life for Him, and He will take it and make it something so beautiful and so... radiant that your life will be a bright star in the darkness.

Ending song.... hmmm....
OH! PERFECT!
It's time for a classic. Maybe you'll recognize it. God's calling. Answer. Trust His path.
"Here I am Lord"

Here I am Lord
Is it I Lord?
I have heard you
Calling in the night.
I will go, Lord
If you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart

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Ok ok so maybe I didn't really follow the original topic so well this time around. What can I say? I'm only human.  But then maybe this is what I was supposed to write about in the first place!
I've been a bit distracted because I'm working on the next post already. It's gonna be good!

Sorry again for the delay! Hope all is well and God Bless!

~Wanted~