We can all agree that one of the most hardcore people in Scripture is John the Baptist - he lived in the wilderness, ate locust and wild honey, wore camel hair, and was strong in spirit. He was prophesied about and was destined for greatness.

Think about it for one moment... The birth of a little baby boy in a manager. Most would say it is nothing important, just a poor kid from poor parents. But this poor kid was the Savior of the universe.

When Elijah waited for the Lord, he stood at the entrance of the cave and heard, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” God calls us by name and begs us to stop and answer that question – What are we doing?

I’ll be honest; I like instant gratification. Experiencing “need” is not fun. I’d rather skip that uncomfortable question: “What will I do if such and such a need I have is not met?”

Adventus literally means “coming” or “arrival.” So yes, the word refers to the preparation or the coming of Christ in Christmas, but it also has another meaning for the second coming of Christ

So how do we get into that spirit of joy and giving so that our holidays might be a season that means more than just “making it through”

You jerk back, shocked that he’s made eye contact with you. But then he motions you closer. You draw near, your heart burning as you realize this is no ordinary baby. This is the Son of the living God. Jesus the Christ.

The immense gratitude in her eyes was so shocking to me. In my mind, it was a simple, courteous gesture. If she was lost and I had the capabilities to speak to her in a language more familiar to her, I ought to, right?

I couldn’t calm myself down. My mom couldn’t either. So, she called my brother (who was a firefighter at the time) and he hurried over with some of his firefighter friends. They couldn’t calm me down, and the next thing I knew, I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.

As I swerved, I saw flashing lights on behind me. I hit the brakes... and my car stopped. I don’t remember unlocking the doors, but the cop was able to open the door. I had already been crying, and just sobbed even harder. I couldn’t believe he had stopped me. He looked me in my eyes and asked if I was okay. I just kept crying.

As the group continued talking, I realized at that point that they were talking about me. I began to play in my head how I would be able to fight them, but this all changed when I heard one of the group members saying “should I poke him?”, which in Bronx slang means “should I stab him?”

You ever read the Bible before?” He promptly responded with, “Twice actually.” Again I said to myself “Oh boy” He followed up and said, “I’m not a believer though.” Again I said to myself “Oh boy” I simply asked, “well what do you believe?” He told me “I’m a Wiccan.”

How do you want to be remembered? Someone once told me “It is good everywhere. If you want it, you will find it. There is also bad everywhere. If you want it, you will find that too. It all depends on what you are seeking.” So what are you looking for?

I was probably 12 years old when I had my first anxiety attack. The reason? my Mom told me college could cost up to 50K a year. I think it’s safe to say I was motivated more than most kids to make money growing up.

When they came inside I asked them why I just ran practice that way and one of the Captains said “We’re going to go through harder things in life, and we need other people to help us through.”

GOD SAVED MY LIFE by leading me to a few young guys at my new church…I soon realized that it was because they knew who they were and they knew where their worth came from. They knew they were sons, sons of the living God, their true Father.

Everyone knows the famous quotation from St. Therese of Liseux, “do small things with great love,”

Have you ever been so angry and so sad and not known why? Everything seems to rub you the wrong way, and you feel so alone and like no one could possibly understand. I have been there, and it kind of sucks.

I could say that Cancel Culture is purely a product of America’s culturized individualism and self-indulgent philosophy that has been taught to every generation in new and less subtle ways with each wave of technological advances. Orrrrr…

Trust Him, not yourself. All He needs is your “yes”! Take that “Leap of Faith” today!