4 Ways to know who you were "meant to be"

My friends became priests last weekend. And it was awesome. 

Literally. The best 5-day celebration of my life. To witness these young men heroically lay down their entire life for something that they would die for was an incredible experience. Actually, to see them lay down their life for something that I hope to have the courage to die for too could have been what made it so amazing. Either way, it gave me hope. It really made me think too. What is my calling in life?  What am I meant to lay down my life for? I realized that when you find your calling in life and you commit to it, you become fully alive. You become fully you. When you find out who you were "meant to be", you have the potential to change the world. I really think that these two men are going to do just that.

St. Catherine of Siena once said,

"If you are who you were meant to be, you will set the world on fire." 

Fr. Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Fr. Anthony Cusack and I before eating a whole lot of lobster on the beach.

Four ways to know who you were "meant to  be."

1. You know who you were meant to be when you know who you are.

Stop looking at other people's lives to figure out your own. The moment you let go of other people's expectations you'll find out who you really are. #youdoyou. If you don't know who you are, pray this "I AM will tell me who I am." (Who is "I am"? He created you. Exodus 3:14) He created you, and He totally knows who you are. Find who you are and you'll find who you're meant to be.

2. You know who you were meant to be when you know who you're not. 

If you really can't stop trying to be like other people (I get it, we all have an image to keep up), then go ahead and just embrace being someone else for a while.  This is the route most of us take first. But soon enough, it's going to catch up with you, you're going to be miserable and you're going to realize that its just not worth it to live up to others expectations. Find out who you're not, don't be that person,  and then you'll find who you're meant to be.

3. You know who you were meant to be when you know who or what you love the most.

Who would you die for? What would you die for? You were meant for whoever or whatever that is. If you feel like you would die for anyone, maybe your calling is something greater than the small family you've always imagined.  Maybe its not. Some would die for a person. Other might die for a mission. If you wouldn't die for any one or anything than you're just floating through life (Revelation 3:16). Find that passion and you'll find who you're meant to be.

4. You know who you were meant to be when you know what makes you most alive. 

What gets you out of bed in the morning? Not what wakes you up, but what motivates you to remove yourself from your comfort zone? More importantly, what keeps you up during the day and late into the night? What do you sacrifice sleep for, yet continue to feel energized by? Find what makes you alive and you'll find who you're meant to be.  (John 10:10)

If none of this works just set a chair on fire...that usually helps me.

Mountaintop Suffering

Five years ago I attempted to climb a 3,165 foot mountain. Five years ago, I also gave up before making it even close to the top, packed my bags and went home.Yesterday, I climbed that same mountain and I made it to the top in an hour and a half. When I finally reached the top and looked around and all I could think was “How did I do that?!”

I was overwhelmed by the contrast between my two experiences climbing this monster…I mean mountain. How could I have accomplished something that my “five-years-ago self” thought was impossible?

“Behold, I make all things new”, says the Lord.

I think back at the person that I was when I first attempted to climb this mountain. 

I look at the person that I am today. New. I am new. I am different. I am changed. 

Both attempts I wanted to quit. Both times I was challenged beyond what I thought I was capable of. But how I dealt with the challenge was what was made new. What was different. What was changed.

About two years ago I learned the most important lesson of my life. And if you’ve spent any amount of time with me recently you’ve probably heard this come out of my mouth at least once (#sorrynotsorry). This life-changing lesson is that pain and suffering leads to joy. The “old me” used to think that pain and suffering leads to…well actually I just ran the hell away from pain…so I guess I never really thought about what it leads to. But two years ago I was in a situation where I really couldn’t run from the pain and suffering anymore, and I had to deal with it head on. What I found was that enduring pain instead of running from it was actually way different than I expected. Instead of leaving me in despair and discomfort, it left me with a sense of accomplishment, freedom, fulfillment and joy. Without pain and suffering would have never experienced those mountaintop experiences. I think I'll call it "Mountaintop suffering."

Let’s face it. Our lives are full of really tough mountains to climb. We can either run from them, or conquer them. My gut in the “new me” is telling me to conquer them, and so far that gut hasn't failed me. So let’s do it!

The 3 steps to climb the mountain of suffering

1. Every time you want to give up, just take one more step. Then you’ll never give up.

There were about 856 times yesterday that even the new me was telling me to throw in the towel and give up. I kept thinking things like, “just take another break”, “no one will mind if you take your time”, “this is high enough, no need to go all the way, I’ll just meet everyone back at the bottom.” Don’t listen to these discouraging thoughts. Take another step, and always keep going. Especially when it hurts the most. The more it hurts, the greater the reward.

2.Never climb alone

We ran into this guy on the mountain yesterday who really seemed to know what he was doing when it came to climbing. He said that he climbs often, was in the military, and even takes the toughest routes to the top - for fun! After some small talk, we all continued climbing, he quickly moved way ahead of us but then about 20 minutes later…we found him sitting on a rock with a busted ankle. He was alone and stranded with a pretty bad injury. If he had gone with someone he probably wouldn’t have been in such a sucky situation because he would have been thinking about someone else's climb too. No matter how experienced we may be, when it comes to pain and suffering we can’t go through it alone. Know that you are not the only one struggling to climb your mountain. There is always someone out there going through what you're going through, you just have to rely on each other to get through. (Look up Matthew 28:20).

3. Enjoy the view!

You can’t enjoy the view unless you’ve made it to the top. Sure, you can get glimpses of it by creeping on others’ pictures of their mountaintop experiences…but it is SO much better when you experience it for yourself! You can look at others’ lives and envy their joy, peace, and exhilaration all you want. But nothing beats feeling that for yourself. Go for it. Make a move and bust through that pain my friends. Let me know how that works out for you. (Look up 1 Corinthians 10:13). God never gives you anything you can't handle. He's the one who created the mountain - He'll get you to the top. 

3 Steps to beat the hell out of the "Hokey Pokey" Culture

I read a strange sign on my way home from work yesterday that nearly caused me to drive off the road...well...actually that was Wendy's, but thats another story...#workingonselfcontrol #practicallyhuman #notthereyet. In any event, the sign read this:

"What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?" 

Why that was on a sign in front of a seafood restaurant is beyond me, but I have to be honest - it did make me think. For one, the hokey pokey simply isn't on the top of my list of "To Do's" like it used to be. But secondly it made me think about how we live in a world where "tolerance" is a greater virtue than "truth". Likewise, where not offending somebody has become more respected than having your own opinion on things. We live in a culture where relativism is not only praised but expected if you want to be considered "accepted" (whatever that means).

I learned a lot this year teaching Catholicism to 120 or so high schoolers, and one of the scariest things I realized was that a lot of them don't believe in any absolute truths.  Everything to them is "hokey pokey", if you will. They put their right foot in when its convenient and comfortable, but when they are challenged or uncomfortable they put their right foot out. I remember one day they 100% agreed with the Catholic Church's teaching that every single person in the world deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. But the next day when I said "what about Adolf Hitler or Randy, an unborn child of a woman who was raped?"...all of a sudden every single person except Adolf and Randy deserve to be treated with dignity? I call these people Hokey Pokers.

Let's shake it all about...

A Hokey Poker is uncomfortable confronting truth.

A Hokey Poker is afraid of suffering.

I believe that if a Hokey Poker gets to know Jesus Christ, the Truth, they will not be afraid of suffering anymore.

My intent that I was hinting at in my first blog post (you know, the one about being in Deep Poo...) is to give practical steps to live out Christian values in this crazy world we live in. I've had enough of these theories and ideas. I think what the world needs today is a concrete "How to be a follower of Christ".  Jesus Christ lived his life to the fullest and our goal is to get on his level. That's why we are only practically human, because with this whole original sin thing getting in our way, we just aren't there yet. Life can be a tough road, but a wise friend of mine once told me that the first 100 years are the hardest. The rest of the ride is a piece of cake, or two. We'll get there.

So what do we do about relativism and the Hokey Pokers?

3 Steps to beat the hell out of the "Hokey Pokey" Culture

1. Do the Hokey Pokey, turn yourself around, and get to know Jesus. 

If you don't know him, but you've already made a decision that you don't like him...that's an uninformed decision that will change your eternal destiny. I'd do more research because a lot is on the line if its all true. Start by reading the 4 Gospels and then let me know what you think of Jesus.

2. Decide to commit to following Jesus. Every day. 

You can commit just once, but I guarantee that you'll forget you ever made the commitment #lifeiscrazy #cantkeepup. Every day when you wake up, go ahead and hit that snooze button (#workingonselfcontrol) and for just 2 minutes before you doze back off to sleep tell God you love him and ask Him what He wants of you for that day. Just don't forget what He says when you do get up.

3.  Pray that you will have the courage to die for Jesus Christ, so when the time comes you will. #longtermgoals

This doesn't (necessarily) mean that you're going to physically be a martyr. But it does mean that you will be persecuted for your faith. Those Hokey Pokers are brutal! If you don't stand up for what you believe in, you are joining the dark... I mean...Hokey Pokey side. 

2 ways to know you're Practically Human

Have you ever wondered if you're doing this whole human thing right? If you can relate to either of these criteria below, then on a scale of 1 to human...you're practically there.


1.) You often pretend to know what you were doing.
Let's be real. We are all just pretending we know how to be a human. No one really knows. Really, it's true. We are practically human, but always learning and growing. Hang in there humanity, the struggle is real. 

2.) You've been in deep poo.
Navigating life without a practical game plan is like drinking laxatives on a bus ride across the country. I wouldn't wish that upon my worst enemy (more on that later). Without a game plan, you're in deep poo, my friend.

The good news is I never want you to be in deep poo, or any kind of poo for that matter (...fecal matter). I invite you to take this blog to heart, but don't take it too seriously...I'm only practically human you know.