One of the presenters on my retreat this weekend mentioned this statue in her talk. It's of St. Ignatius of Loyola, and it can be found in Guelph, Canada.As I looked at the image, I couldn't help but think of the words of St. Paul: "... forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God's upward calling, in Christ Jesus"...

Wow, I'm just settling back at home from a wonderful time on retreat. It was a powerful weekend for everyone. Thanks to all who came, and don't forget to email me so we can start the next part of our spiritual pilgrimage.

There's a boy in my class who has started using the phrase, "I've got this" for just about everything I ask my class to do.Maybe it's self motivation, or it just might be seventh grade bravado, but a few nights ago he raised his hand to read a wordy and difficult Scripture passage. He did great, and I could see he was happy with himself when he finished. He got it.

Over the past several days, I've been getting myself ready for my upcoming retreat. It's all a bit overwhelming, with lots to do and lots to think about.What are we going to do? What am I going to say?A reoccurringchallenge found in St. Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises kept coming up in my mind as I prepared my talks. I was thinking about what it might mean to those who will be listening to me,...

Funny how life is. This morning, I woke up from a dream, and the weather I was experiencing in that dream looked something like this picture.In reality, however, the Polar Vortex had finally come to Maryland, and it was about 4 degrees outside, but with the windchill, it felt like -20. I wanted to go back to bed and try to rejoin that dream of mine, but it wasn't meant to be. Oh well.

It looks like Maryland will luck out and not get hit too badly by the big freeze that's gripping the country. Just some freezing rain and a little snow later tonight. I'm looking forward to spring :)But before the warm weather comes, I'm going to be leading my firstMaking All Things New Retreatat the end of January, and I have a lot to do to make it a powerful experience for everyone coming.

Well, we made it. 2014 is here, and I hope and pray that it will be a great year for everyone.I don't know about you, but I have several resolutions that I plan to work on this year.A big one is to finish up my doctoral studies and be ready to graduate in the spring of 2015. I purchased some software recently that I hope will help me reach this huge goal. I hope they work like they're supposed...

As we wait out the last few hours of 2013, it's hard not to pause and think about all the changes that have taken place over the last 365 days.It's been a year of joy, and excitement. Lot's of good memories and hopes fulfilled.It's also been a year of sadness, of loss, and unrealized dreams.

Yesterday was an amazing day for me. It was amazing because of encounters I had with three amazing men who have made big impacts on the people around them.In the afternoon, I met up with a friend and we went to visit an elderly priest who now lives in an assisted living facility. My friend and I got to know this priest many years ago, and he provided us and countless others with great spiritual...

Winter doesn't officially start until next Saturday, but in my neck of the woods, it came in with gusto last weekend. The snow started Sunday morning, and within a few hours, everything was covered, including the roads. What a mess, albeit a pretty one.