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Pray, Pay, Obey

What does that mean exactly?  Growing up Luthern, in a small Pennsylvania town, there weren’t many Catholics. In fact, I don’t recall knowing what a Catholic was until college.

Well, life comes full circle and here I am, a devoted Catholic for over a decade. There are something like 15,000 members of our Holy Family congregation. All walks of like.

One of them, I see occasionally at Gold’s Gym.  We recently had a nice conversation with these highlights:

Draw nearer to God and God will draw nearer to you. James 4:8.

True love doesnt force anything.

Greed, sloth, doubt, hypocracy – the four points in the circle surrounding the four squares.

Pay, pray and obey Catholic.  This is how my friend (60-something) described himself.

God does not want good men in heaven, he wants Saints.

Gotta go.  Time to work on praying, obeying, paying and demonstrating.

Just So I'd Remember The Conversatio

How big is your vision? No seriously, how big?

We are so tempted to go through our daily motions, and never stretch ourselves in ways we are capable of, but are too afraid to try.

The people who overcome their fear, or at least who attempt to overcome their fear, are the ones who make significant progress in the big issues.

At Chick-fil-A several days ago, I met a foursome of retired Iowans, here in Orlando for the Winter. They work for Wycliffe Associates.

Wycliffe Associates wants to translate the Bible into every language known to man.

What if no one dreamt this big?

What if you don’t dream this big?

My big dream?  To help raise enough money to find a cure for an incurable disease.

And yours?

Descendent?

Happy Birthday Margaret. My Mother-In-Law turns 87 today.

“Mom” is still living in the house she was born in. Same house her entire life. Never moved out. Never moved away.

She was one of nine children. Her Mother, “Grammy”, open a one-room grocery store (1927) in what is now the living room in their three-story row home in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Grammy raised nine children, ran the store from early morning to late at night for 44 years.

Her Father, who died in his 30′s, was a shoe cobbler in the the back of the house.

“Mom” has aches and pains like most 87 year olds, an answering machine, and even a Trac Phone.

She is a devout Catholic and prays all the time, even when it doesn’t seem so.

She has shown us unconditional love, simplicity, kindness and generosity, loyalty, and love.

Mom, you amaze us with your spirit.  We love you.

What Does the Future Hold?

Happy Birthday Johnny. Johnny, my Father-In-Law, turns 84 today. Can you imagine 84?

His father died when he was just a young boy. His uncle, an alcoholic, tried to raise him as best he could.

Johnny got his driver’s license to get a job with the City of Allentown, but never drove a car, his entire life.

Johnny served our country in Europe during WWII, putting his life on the line for you and me.

Johnny provided for his Family, working hard all his life, at a job that provided no glamour, no glory, no prestige.

Johnny always tried to make his wife and daughter happy, so they never had to “go without”.

Johnny is a devout Catholic.  And a big Frank Sinatra fan.

Johnny retired and never had to work another day in his life.

Johnny is a “rich” man.

Like many 84-year olds, his health is failing.  He knows it.  We all know it.

Johnny, if this is the last birthday you have (and I pray to God it’s not), my birthday wish for you is that you know that I Love You!

A Blog of a Different Color

Ladies and Gentleman, may I present Ohio’s Craig Nickoloff, a man who works hard to help make the world a better place for younger generations.  Here is Craig’s contribution to our Spirit entitled:

Coram Deo…

“I’m growing.

Always will be.

Human nature I guess.

I used to pride myself on doing my best.

Had a re-examination though.

Conclusion…

I still pride myself on doing my best.

Peeling away that outer layer, though, reveals a different motivation.

As a school student, I was out to bust stereotypes.
I was a scholar, athlete and musician; and excelled at each. But I wanted to prove that the different castes could get along well with each other. They didn’t have to stick to their circles for comfort’s sake. My target audience was my peers. By peers, I mean not just friends my age, but also family and anyone else who wanted to watch. It was a noble effort, but in the end, I was looking out for myself. I was expending a lot of energy to impress many others.

I got tired.

So, college – a sort of dark time – consisted of me dropping all pretenses and doing what I wanted. Fortunately, I come from a great family and the lessons they have taught me carried me and kept me from going any deeper.

And one key thing here…
God watched over me…
As he does all of us.

And his plan had much, much more in store for me.

God brought a strong, beautiful woman into my life. I don’t say beautiful to brag about her outwardly (which is nonetheless true), but to praise how God has molded her spiritually. He used her to guide me back to Him.

So it is in this state that I sit here, wondering how He’ll use me.

My motivation now is not that of before. I’m not living my life to impress others, not even my wife.
I hate to say it. But, it is possible to do “good” things; be a generally “good” person; live an outwardly respectable, impressive life; but also be a contradictory, no-good liar on the inside.
It’d be exhausting, but it’s possible.

Strip it all down.
Past bare body…
Past bare bones…
Past bare words…
Right down to bare spirit.

me & God.
mano y Omnipotent Creator.

He loves me so much that he’d sent his son, Jesus Christ, to take the entire world’s sins on his shoulders and die.

He knows my heart. He knows my thoughts. He knows my words. He knows my actions.

I get away with nothing.

Is my love for him pure?
Is my faith unwavering?

God gave us free will. It’s so hard to resist human temptations.

There’s a saying, “I’d rather beg forgiveness than ask permission” that helps some to make decisions.
That’s fine and dandy with our peers, as we live out our real-time lives.

But with God, while he is a forgiving God, he knows that that saying went through your head in the first place.
So, the whole procedural “beg for forgiveness” later thing doesn’t work so well.

I recently started a Bible study, published in Tabletalk magazine, with my wife. At the end of each page is an exercise entitled “Coram Deo.” In Latin, it literally means “before the face of God.”

So, going through the actions, through the motions, through the works is a nice thing. But what is it that really serves as the motivation?

I believe that the true calling of a Christian is to live one’s life Coram Deo.

And if I live my life before the face of God and glory in his grace and mercy, then all of the other “good” things will fall into place as I obey his commands.

Those actions won’t be done to prove, they’ll be done to demonstrate.

I’m praying everyday for strength and wisdom to do my best at living my life…

…Coram Deo.”

It's Cold In Ohio

Craig Nickoloff, from Ohio, will be jeffnoel.org’s Guest Blogger this Sunday.

Craig is a young man with a wife and two children. He’s a Christian, self-proclaimed Disney freak and a man who inspires me by his will and determination to become a better man, a better person.

We all struggle with it.

Can’t wait to introduce you to Craig on Sunday.

Have an AWESOME Friday today.

Safe For The Big Ears Too

Do you listen to music? I mean, all the time? Or do you listen to talk radio? Perhaps you don’t listen to radio at all.

It really makes no difference what we do.

Until.

Until we take an inventory of our spirit.

Huh?

At any given moment, if you were put on the spot and forced to give an honest answer, could you immediately say, “I’m blessed beyond measure.”?

Could you?  And we’re not talking some fake, or politically correct, “Of course!”

One of my secrets?  Listening to Z88.3 every single day. The Z, as we call it here in Central Florida, plays contemporary Christian Music that is, Safe For The Little Ears.