God is Good

I was in Finland last week.  Intercontinental travel, especially short trips can be tough because your body clock gets all out of whack.  Case in point, no matter what time I went to bed last week, I woke up at 4am Finnish time.  This made for some very long days!

While in Finland, I had the opportunity to discuss Christ with someone.  Over several hours we were able to share our thoughts and feelings about our faith. He was a fellow engineer with a young daugher who believes as I do. That the more you analyze and put creation under a microscope, the more you have to realize that there is a creator.

We also talked at great length about the relationship we have with the Father and how this mirrors our relationship with our children.  It is so good to meet people that share your beliefs.  It is even better when you are able to talk about those beliefs together.

God is Good.

Blessings

Tim

In Memory of Kathy Westendorf

Kathy was a wonderful woman.  She and her husband Bill led the RCIA program when I "went through" it.  Their marriage was a wonderful example of how things should be in terms of love and marriage.  Their ministry in the RCIA program was also an inspiration.

I attended her funeral today, and I have to say that this is really the first time I have felt so emotional at the passing of a friend or relative or while at a funeral.  What is interesting is that I am not so emotional about passing, all though that is saddening.  What stirred my soul is that Kathy was a great reflection of the True Light that we are all looking for in Jesus Christ.

I've commented before that studying scripture and bible commentaries will often times "convict your soul" when you discover a nugget of truth that shines a light on a part of our life that is sinful or otherwise needs work.  When I say "convict your soul" I mean the part of you that feels like "oh no! I've been dong that. I really need to do better."

Kathy was the type of person that made you want to be a better person because of the way she lived and how the Father's love really reflected in her words and actions.

Kathy passed as a result of a long fight with cancer. Fortunately here family were with her. She was a loving person who was everyone's best friend.  Even through her struggle with the terminal illness, she continued to love.  The circumstances of her struggle also helped those who loved her to love each other more and as well as to learn more about what love is.  A testament to what I think is wrong about the "death with dignity" movement.

Kathy, you will be missed. I pray that the Father welcomes you into his presence and Jesus is there to hold your hand until you are united with Bill.  Kathy, please pray for me so that I may be a better husband, father, and friend

Tim

Giving Glory to the Father

How do we give Glory to the Father?  For some it is through great works of art or sculpture, music, their vocation to religious life, or through their work.

For those of us not called to a specific vocation where we can express our love of God and give him glory through our talent, what are we to do?

How about through how we raise our children.  Could it be through this humble and most challenging of vocations, that we give Glory to the Father?

Blessings

Tim

Indifference

Our bible study group is currently studying the Revelation of John.  Last week we read about and discussed the letter to Laodicea.  We are using William Barclay's commentary, and he discusses the issues that Laodicea had with respect to indifference.  When I read that part of the commentary, I didn't think very much of it because it talked mainly about the indifference of a community.

But, one of our bible study members discussed about the cruel power that indifference has on relationships, and the effect it had on them.  Are we guilty of indifference to our children, spouses, and other loved ones?  What kind of damage does that do to the ones we love?  I know that I am guilty of it.  Both in regards to my wife and children. 

I thank God for our bible study.  A Small Christian Community that helps to really understand our Lord's Word and how it applies to our daily lives. 

Without this tidbit of perspective concerning indifference, I would not have realized what potential damage I could be causing in my relationships.  Fortunately, armed with this info, I can do what I can to seek forgiveness, rectify the damage and work on improving my actions (or lack thereof).

Please look at your relationships and actions and see if your indifference is causing problems.  It may help you to put a better spin on this year's Valentine's Day.

Blessings

Tim

Great Testimony

A great testimony from Kristin on "why she wastes her time worshiping". Good stuff. Hint: She really doesn't think it is a waste of time.

Blessings

Tim

Emily is a light of the world

Our oldest, Emily, is a kind, warm, loving child. She is also very outgoing, which is totally different from her mother and I. In many ways this is a blessing because she is able to make friends with a variety of children that are different from her. Whether they are children of different races, different gender, or just have different interests. She seems to be this light that other children are drawn to.

Something that I struggle with is how do we nurture this so that she can use this for good and not for bad? Jen and I have told her on occasion that since she makes friends so easily, that she needs to make sure that other kids are included and not left out. I just hope that she doesn't learn to use her charisma as a tool to hurt or exclude others.

Hopefully we are helping along the right path. We have such a good foundation in that she has the right temperament and the charisma to be the light of the world. My wife and I should therefore always keep in mind the following (emphasis mine) as we raise her:

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father."

Matthew 5: 14-16

Any thoughts or useful suggestions are gladly accepted.

Blessings

Tim

New Addition to the Blogs I Follow

You might have noticed that on the right hand side of this page is a list of other blogs that I follow.

I found the blog Letters to Liam while visiting another blog I follow: Catholic Dads.

Anyhoo, Letters to Liam is a great blog about raising a special needs child. It started out as a way for a father to write letters for his newborn child once he had become an adult. Liam's Down Syndrome has changed the focus of the blog, and it is quite inspirational.

It is reaffirming that there are other dads out there who have found the blogging outlet useful for talking about their relationship with their children!

I'm adding Letters to Liam to my list of blogs and hope that you get a chance to visit the blog and be sure to check out the introductory blog post.

Blessings

Tim

"Go God"

Kristen is a former babysitter of ours.  She is a full time student and very talented amateur photographer.  She has felt the call to do some missionary work with Youth With a Mission.

Kristen has started a blog chronicling her adventures. The end of one of her posts really caught my eye: "Go God".

Pray for Kristen and her new adventures.

Tim

A reflection of the True Light

Last week went well with the kids. Sunday was a tough two year old day. Monday didn't start out any better. At some point I was wondering if we were going to have to get some warranty work on her baptism. ;-)

It is amazing where the Father can point you when you ask for help.

I came across this blog post entitled "Amazing Grace" on Monday night as I was doing some random searches on catholicblogs.com. Wonderful story. Wonderful testimony. I won't spoil it for you. Go ahead and read it. I wouldn't be able to do it justice.

Not that I have it terrible by any stretch of the imagination and don't get me wrong, this isn't a case of "thank God I am not in that situation". It's two things. First a realization of how fortunate I am to be called to the vocation of being a husband and father. Something that I need to remind myself of constantly.

Secondly, the story is inspirational on so many levels. I don't even think I could list them. For me,

• despite the many issues, they kept trying to have children
  
• They adopted a baby and if you read the blog post on fatherhood, you will feel the how this father has made a "quantum leap" in his vocation as a father.

I can identify with these quantum leaps. It is like a switch goes on in your soul that says you are in a different place in regards to where you are at with respect to your fatherhood.

The father, Bill, is a reflection of the True Light.

I don't want to spoil it with any more words. Needless to say I am inspired to be a better father. The best father that I can be.

"reflected in another source of light
when the moment dies
the spark still flies
reflected in another pair of eyes"

Chain Lightning, Words by Neil Peart, Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson

Pray for Grace. Pray for Bill. Pray for all fathers.

Blessings to you all

Tim

Small Changes Mean a Lot

A friend of the family has posted a challenge to the readers of the Diocese of Marquette paper. 

See here: http://www.dioceseofmarquette.org/upcarticle.asp?upcID=1845

Great insight into how people are called to their vocation, whether it is to the religious life or married life.

Something that struck me, concerning my blog in particular, is Mike's paraphrasing of a quote from St. Francis de Sales—"something to the effect that holiness is slow as sunrise: imperceptible changes realized only in retrospect."

This is good for me to keep in mind as I try to improve myself in my continued faith journey. Small changes may not seem to be making much difference, but in retrospect they can mean a lot.

So to with how we work with our children. As I've said in a previous post, "Ton of Bricks", I can't expect my kids to immediately change. If there is something wrong with their behavior, we need to work with them to improve with small changes. Also relates to another post, "Our Father, Part 1", catechesis of our children in bite size chunks that they can take into the future.

Blessings

Tim

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If you like this blog please consider donating to Eastside Baby Corner.

Good News! My sister Amy is entering the RCIA program back at her parish on the east coast. She will be confirmed at Easter. She and her husband are expecting a baby around Easter, hopefully they will be able to have an Easter Baptism as well!

Please pray for her and her journey into the church.

Blessings to you all.

Tim

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If you like this blog please consider donating to Eastside Baby Corner.

Reflections of the True Light

Interesting article from a home town newspaper. Amy's brother, Michael, is a friend who recently volunteered as a chaplain's assistant out here in the Pacific Northwest.

The article is very good. Especially poignant is the impact she is having on her students.

Amy is a reflection of the True Light. An inspiration for us all.

Blessings to you all

Tim

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If you like this blog please consider donating to Eastside Baby Corner.