How great is your faith?

Are you willing to wait or do you want immediate gratification?

Someone asked of St. Augustine:

How come God doesn't respond to our prayers? How come we are met so often with silence?

To which, St. Augustine is reported to have said:

That you might be inspired to persevere in prayer and there by allow your heart expand so as to receive the gift that God wants to give you.

Through perseverance we learn to wait and appreciate the gift all the more then it does arrive.

Lord, give my heart patience to know, love, and do your will through my actions.

Fight for what is right!

Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day.

EPHESIANS 6:13

When was the last time I prayed for an enemy?

Transform my passions, Lord Jesus, into the white hot fire of your love.

Be not afraid.

Show me the light.

What is done in darkness needs to have light shown on it.

Duty to Live in the Light

Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light.

EPHESIANS 5:11-14

Open my eyes, O Lord. Help me to see your light in all its glory.

Rules for the new life

Put away falsehoods, speak the truth....Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun set on your anger, and do not leave room for the devil.

EPHESIANS 4:25-27

Did I give way to "bitterness and anger" in any way today?

Lord Jesus, not even the smallest act of kindness escapes your notice. Let it not escape mine either.

Who's your Daddy?

Who made you? Are you self-made, or made in the likeness of God through Christ?

...be renewed in the spirit of your minds...

EPHESIANS 4:23

How clearly do I perceive the presence of God in my life and in the world?

You call us, O Lord, to be partners with you in the new creation. Help us to respond to that call with all our hearts, souls, and mind.


The Holy Spirit is bonds of unity with the blessed Trinity. Unity is communion, love, and giving. - Closing of WYD '08 Pope Benedict

The Church is in us

The common mystery of the our faith is the nature of the "gloried" body of the risen Christ. In the writings of the Acts of the Apostles and other writings of Paul Christ no longer has the limitations of a physical body. Jesus Christ appears when and where he chooses. Paul's image of the Church is very similar, it is here there and everywhere. The Church is in me, in you, in them. The Church is Christ's body; we are the Church.

From whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body's growth and builds itself up in love.

EPHESIANS 4:16

How have I been the instrument of the Christ's love in the flesh today?

O loving God, who put me together in my mother's womb, bring me today more closely into the Body of Christ.

Unity of the Body

We are of one body, one body of Christ!

Striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace
EPHESIANS 4:3

Where is the connection between inner peace and outer peace most clearly manifested in my life?

Lead me , Lord Jesus, on the worthy adventure of a life of discipleship.

Hope you gotta try it sometime.

Hope for every believer "may have the power to grasp...what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge."

That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend.

EPHESIANS 3:17-18

When was the list time I was aware of God's love in my life?

Today, my loving Father, I place myself within your loving hands.

We are one because God is one

Jew, Greek, Arab, European, Asian, Christian, Indian, Russian, Brazilian, Ephesian, Muslim, Oceania, God has granted us all access to his kingdom.

"In the former ages this mystery was not made known to the whole world, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:...the Gentiles have become fellow hearers, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the spreading of the good news."

EPHESIANS 3:2-6

How actively do I seek unity within the Church and between the Church and the world?

Help me to remember this day, Lord Jesus, that whenever two or more are gathered in your name there you are, too.

One in Christ

For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity....

EPHESIANS 2:14

Do we have the right balance? Do we have the Right Relationship with Christ? Do we have "Shalom" the Hebrew word for peace, which means much much more. It is a state of being; where all creation interacts with one another in harmony as God intended.

In what ways have I been an instrument of peace?

Come, O Spirit of Peace. Fill my heart with your presence that I might go out and transform the world.

OMG 50 Megapixels - not for your family vacation

In a day when most consumer digital cameras are in the range of 7 to 12 megapixels HasselBland has updated its' digital camera. The previous version only was a 39 megapixel.

This beast is geared toward photographers who shot photographs for (I can't say photos or pics when talking about this camera - it just seems wrong) billboard, high-end glossy magazines and the like. Most of these photographers have not moved to the digital domain, they still use media film and shoot in the 50 to 200 ISO range.

More can be seen on this at: uncrate

Can't have one without the other - faith and works

All of us once lived among them in the desires of the flesh and the impulses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest.

EPHESIANS 2:3

In what ways has my faith and experience of the presence of the risen Christ changed the way I live?

Lead us, Lord Jesus, from the stifling confines of a life apart from you to the golden country of your presence.

Having faith, true belief, really is seeing

May the spirit of wisdom and revelation result in knowledge of Him. May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call.

EPHESIANS 1:17-18

What is the world that I see when I look out of my window?


Open my eyes, Lord, to the creation of awesome beauty in the ordinary events and meetings of my life.

God's love is no fictious story

As he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will.

EPHESIANS 1:4-5

How clearly do I see God's plan unfolding in my life?

Thank you, gracious God, for all of the riches of grace you have lavish upon us.

Can I see very far?

Whether writing a letter or typing an e-mail, when you want something noticed your write it bigger or bolder or in caps. That is exactly what Paul did when closing his letter to the Galatians.

See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand!

How much better to see things and to drive the point home!


If today I were to die, would the overwhelming experience of my life be of love?

Let not the trees of our imperfections and failings, Lord Jesus Christ, blind us to the forest of God's love.

Have I sowed the right seeds?

Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

GALATIANS 6:2

Nurture the seeds of gentleness, compassion, patience, and humility within my community and my heart, Lord Jesus.

Wisdom & Understanding

Now you, my friends, are children of the promise.

GALATIANS 4:28


Guide me, O Holy Spirit, beyond the words on the page to the Word through which all that exists has been created and is sustained.

Are we afraid to be free?

How can you want to be enslaved...again?

GALATIANS 4:9

Lead me, O Holy Spirit, beyond the prison walls of my fears and superstitions toward the limitless horizons of God's love.

Have you checked your sump-pump, lately?

Every once and a while you need to check out the things you take for granted. Things like the sump-pump in your basement, your hot water heater, your furnace, your family, your friends, your kids, and especially your spouse.

Steven Covey had a process he called sharpen the saw. Every so often you need to attend to the tools, the those who make your life easier. Make sure the saw is sharp so when you need it, it will be there for you.

Take time, sharpen your saw, check on your sump-pump, focus on what is important get it done. Believe it, when this is done that voice in the back of your head won't seem to be pest, because the important things won't be in those messages. Rather the work on your desk, on the project, around the corner can be done with more serenity and with less distractions.

So go out there and let your dog kiss you! Hug your kid! Love life! Right before you go to bed each night tell your spouse you LOVE them. Keep that saw the sharpest! Oh and by the way check on your sump-pump, a wet basement can ruin a positive state of mind! ;)

Happy Independence Day - 2008

This has been a nice week. God has blessed us with a good family, good friends, and good fun. The 4th of July is a special time for me. I have many memories of parties, parades, and fireworks. I hope you enjoyed your 4th of July. Here are some photos I took of our fireworks.