Tuesday, November 30, 2004
YOU DON’T BRING ME FLOWERS
A long morning of pre-conference meetings with convention center staff, a-v folks, teamster officials, cab company folks, hotel people, and convention and visitors bureau professionals lead into a sit down lunch at the Westin’s Fish Market restaurant.  Lunch was great but was interrupted by over five cell calls- a sign of things to come.   The evening finished as I went to greet two young ladies who had walked over to Station Square.  It was a drizzily night and I had a car so I thought I’d go over, have a drink, and offer the two a ride back.  On the way in, on a whim, a bought single roses from a street vendor.  Somewhere along the way. I had forgotten the value of simple gestures, but clearly the flowers were a hit.  << Friends + Family >>

  Monday, November 29, 2004
THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY
We are here and off and running for the conference.
Good: The Westin has an electronic billboard in the hotel that has our conference logo.  cool!
Bad: Lots of little stuff…  car rental, finding boxes… but all in all not to bad until
Ugly: two hours in my room trying to work up wireless connectivity at the Hilton to do homework (next after thus posting) before I have to move all my unpacked, on hangers, folded into drawers stuff into a new room.  Anyway, for what it is worth, I might be posting from the road << Work Day >>

Sunday, November 28, 2004
LOOK OUT, PITTSBURGH, HERE WE COME
All right, let’s pack up and get out of town. Had a nice send-off meal with family and friends tonight.  Off to the National Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry we go… << Work Day >>

THANKSGIVING, Thursday, November 25, 2004
THINGS FOR WHICH I OFFER THANKS. . .
. . . It is a warm, sunny Thanksgiving morning-  cookies already baked, sausage on the way. Turkey is ready and waiting for its moment of the day.
. . . All three kids are happily sleeping the morning in.
. . . for many good friends, that I really enjoy, who both love and care for me.
. . . My church community gets community as much as they get church.
. . . for the blessing of the presence of some wonderful women in my life.
. . . for a ministry that allows me to have good meaningful work.  I believe that I do make a small difference in the world.
. . . for the perception that I have neither achieved or passed my prime.  I have considerable future to which I look forward.
. . . All that being said, there are only five days scheduled at my desk between now and the new year.  December 17 begins a long needed break and rest.
. . . You can see the light at the end of the tunnel for my on-line Master’s in Religious Education.
. . . My father, now passed these eighteen years, remains a role model in my life.
. . . the sensation of being ahead of the ball games on the Christmas season this year, a significant dent has already been placed in shopping and shipping for the holidays.  The apartment is already decorated with the exception of the tree.
And, if you are actually reading this
. . . thanks for you, friend, for taking a moment out to check out me and/or this site. << Friends + Family >>

Wednesday, November 24, 2004
AS GOOD AS IT GETS
In the middle of the movie “As Good as It Gets,” the Jack Nicholson character is dismissed from an unscheduled appointment with his therapist. As is he escorted into the doctor’s waiting room, he paused before the unsuspecting patients and asks, “What if this is as good as it will ever get?” All the dysfunctional characters are leading lives of quiet desperation as they are finding their desired lives not as readily attainable as they imagined. Belonging and purpose become difficult to discern amidst the fog of expectation and disappointment. Characters remain lost until they make the movement in which they thereby become found.
If today is as good as it gets. . . I’m gonna be ok with it << Culture >>

Saturday, November 20, 2004
ALL’S QUIET ON THE HOME FRONT
Sorry, not much to add today. . . home chores. . . work chores. . .  hopefully a movie this evening.  << Work Day >>

Thursday, November 18, 2004
WHY GO TO PITTSBURGH?
In two weeks time, I’m heading off to Pittsburgh.  So what’s the attraction??  Well, there is the Pittsburgh Crèche, the world’s only authorized replica of the crèche in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. It was constructed from plans by Vatican architect Umberto Mezzana. Having seen it once, it is pretty spectacular! Oh, yeah, there is the National Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry as well! << Church >>

Wednesday, November 17, 2004
None of us lives as his own master
Bishop Wilton Gregory in his remarks at the end of his term as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops included this quote from Romans 14:
   None of us lives as his own master
   and none of us dies as his own master.
   While we live we are responsible to the Lord,
   and when we die we die as his servants.
   Both in life and in death we are the Lord’s.
I think I get this.  It will be in my thoughts the next few days << Church >>

Tuesday, November 16, 2004
TWO BROTHERS
This my new favorite story for the time being… and was shared tonight with the Tuesday AYM middle-schoolers:
Two Brothers
   Once upon a time in a far away land, lived two young men, much like many young men you may know today…
   The two brothers were likable, but undisciplined, with a wild streak in them. Their mischievous behavior turned serious when they began stealing sheep from the local farmers — a serious crime in this pastoral place, so long ago and far away. In time, the thieves were caught. The local farmers decided their fate: The two brothers would be branded on the forehead with the letters ST for "sheep thief." This sign they would carry with them forevermore.
   One brother was so embarrassed by this branding that he ran away; he was never heard from again.
   The other brother, filled with remorse and reconciled to his fate, chose to stay and try to make amends to the villagers he had wronged. At first the villagers were skeptical and would have nothing to do with him. But this brother was determined to make reparation for his offenses.
   Whenever there was a sickness, the sheep thief came to care for the ill with soup and a soft touch. Whenever there was work needing to be done, the sheep thief came to help with a lending hand. It made no difference if the person were rich or poor, the sheep thief was there to help. Never accepting pay for his good deeds, he lived his life for others.
   Many years later, a traveler came through the village. Sitting at a sidewalk cafe eating lunch, the traveler saw an old man with a strange brand on his forehead seated nearby. The stranger noticed that all the villagers who passed the old man stopped to share a kind word, to pay their respects; children stopped their play to give and receive a warm hug.
   Curious, the stranger asked the cafe owner, "What does that strange brand on the old man’s head stand for?"
   "I don’t know. It happened so long ago…" the cafe owner replied. Then, pausing briefly for a moment of reflection, he continued: "…but I think it stands for ‘saint’."

By Willanne Ackerman
from Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul
Copyright 1999 by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen << Youth Ministry Stuff >>

Monday, November 15, 2004
SECOND CHANCES
So, there we are- working with the middle schoolers, debriefing "jubilee justice" and the movie Bruce Almighty.  I am making the final point that in our faith, we embrace second chances.  If you have had an opportunity to visit with me recently, then you know that while the lips were flapping in front of the kids, the mind and spirit were actually working that thought overtime.  Yesterday was a day for second chances.

Continuing on that positive track into today, my most recent YouthWorker article posted up on the web. Catch the link here.   << Church >>

Sunday, November 14, 2004
GREETINGS TO MY FELICIAN COLLEGE CLASSMATES
Because I used this website to post up an image for further dialogue, I imaging that some of my classmates, a few with whom I shared a technology course in recent semester, are now looking through the website.  So… hello.
This is my opportunity to share all my virtual college self-imposed humor- – -

• I love a virtual classroom experience because I can go to class in my underwear.
• I am captain of the virtual water polo team.  But we are under NCAA investigation because we posed for team calendar that was sold as a best-seller (virtually) on campus.
• The first time that I will step foot on the campus, I will be in cap and gown.
• I was selected the virtual Homecoming King his year.
• The Felician College Football team, of which I serve as captain and starting quarterback, remains undefeated this year. << Blogging >>

Saturday, November 13, 2004
STEVE AND SARAH
On a very few hours notice, I became aware of a Steve Angrisano and Sarah Hart concert.  It was a very pleasant ending to a very long week.  Topped it all off with a two-scoop sundae at Friendly’s.  Suddenly, life just seems to look a little better. << Friends + Family >>

Thursday, November 11, 2004
DISCIPLES NOW
Went to a fund raiser for DisciplesNow.com tonight.  Good folks.  Good cause. << Friends + Family >>

Tuesday, November 9, 2004
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
When I prepare staff prayers, I often refer to the readings of the day.  Today’s odd little feast day  (for the dedication of a church…?) did however tie nicely into the NCCYM conference theme. Today’s second reading states Brothers and sisters: You are God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. May we all be a part of building foundations. << Church >>

Monday, November 8, 2004
OUR LADY OF HOPE
At the little church across the street from our offices, there is a side chapel for Our Lady of Hope. But above all I pray, O dearest Mother, that through your most powerful intercession my heart may be filled with Holy Hope, so that in life’s darkest hour I may never fail to trust in God my Savior.  It is an impressive Monday that I feel compelled to drop over for a visit before 9:15 in the morning. 
On the flip side, life has been good.  There was a good AYM event Sunday that I helped to plan but was unable to attend.  I had family time with nieces and nephew and mother in Connecticut this weekend and it was fun playing around and feeding the youngsters and beating Mom in cards.  << Church >>

Wednesday, November 3, 2004
GOD IS IN THE DETAILS
When interviewed in the NY Herald Tribune in 1959, noted architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was asked to comment on restraint in design.  His response was “God is in the details.”  Today, in addressing the National Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry as well as initiatives related to adolescent catechesis in a collaboration with the National Catholic Education Association and the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, it was all about godless details today.  My eyes hurt. << Work Day >>

Tuesday, November 2, 2004
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
Tonight’s AYM class focused in on the election and Dia de los Muertos (which, believe me, makes me sound much more literate when you read it rather than have to hear my fractured Spanish.) Despite the wait for Ohio and Florida to weigh in tonight, I am concerned that the day of the dead in occurring elsewhere. Sudan removes refugees from camp UNITED NATIONS (CNN) — "Sudanese forces" have removed several thousand people from a refugee camp in the Darfur region, despite assurances they would not, U.N. officials said Tuesday. << Parish >>

Monday November 1, 2004
HOMEWORK
Tonight’s on-line homework mixed in salvation theology (the topic), Hansel and Gretel (the assignment) and the chick flick Pretty Woman.  My professor finishes up his on-line lecture with "At the end of the film “Pretty Woman” Julia Roberts alludes to a fairly tale Rapunzel and in answer to Richard Gere’s question “When the prince has rescued the maiden, what happens?” the reply was “She saved him right back.” << Culture >>

The Old Man and the See: The Spirituality of Stick-to-itiveness

By D. Scott Miller

She coaxed her father into the ocean. He put down the book, blew up the raft from Grandma’s storage closet, lathered on the sun screen, and they were off. “Not too far,” she urged as they crossed the beach. “The waves keep knocking me over.”

“Basically, there are three ways to deal with waves,” he recommended. “Try to jump over them, dive underneath them, or ride the tops of them.” Riding the top of waves intrigued her, but it was the toughest option, since you needed to get beyond where the waves were breaking.

Suddenly, Dad got weird. He took the raft and placed himself and his daughter behind it, wielding it like a shield. Together, they marched towards the sea. A wave hit. “Not so bad,” he muttered and walked forward with daughter in tow. Another wave crashed around them. She stumbled back a step, but he yelled out to the horizon, “You call that a wave?!”

The daughter righted herself, discreetly rolled her eyes, and thought, “Oh, boy, here he goes.” Step forward after step forward, wave after surging wave, each merited a defiant shout from her old man. “Pffft, Lake Erie was nastier than this! I’ve seen bigger waves in my bathtub!”

And she laughed, and stepped, and before she knew it, together they were beyond where the waves were cresting. They swayed with each swell, lounging on the raft, catching their breaths. The father looked over to the daughter and challenged her, “Think we’re done with those waves now? We’re not. See, the ocean will keep pushing us back in, so we have to keep going against the tide if we’re to triumph over the ocean.”

Persistence of Spirit

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
Who is to judge the living and the dead,
And in view of his appearing and his kingdom,

I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message;
Be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable;
Convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching.

For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but Having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths.

As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.
— Timothy 4:1-5

In his book Dangerous Wonder, Mike Yaconelli suggested roller coasters as a model for the ups and downs of Christian life. Yaconelli’s image implied the passenger strapped in for the ride of a steady climb of growth with many twists and turns along the way, until the ride (and what a ride it is) is over.

Wave riding is a different sort of adventure. The phases of the moon and tropical storms keep the condition of the surf ever changing. Life is meant to be an interactive experience. Each day’s experience will differ from that of the previous day.

The young disciples/wave riders, however, must remain ever vigilant in their involvement with their own passage, freely choosing some of the challenges they must face by their own efforts. Faith and spirituality are meant to be interactive experiences. Paul charges Timothy with the works of faith: proclaiming the word, convincing, reprimanding, encouraging, dealing with challenges, and evangelizing.

If we’re to be fully engaged in the ride of the ups and downs of a Christian life, we must remain constant in our persistence. Paul expressed these sentiments to the Philippians when he wrote, “Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” (3:12)

How does spirituality play out in our lives and ministries? For many of us, it simply is chosen by our enduring commitment, our own stick-to-itiveness. The spiritual practices of stick-to-itiveness, therefore, while seeming ordinary, can be elevated to the extraordinary.

Stick-to-itiveness necessitates persistence in inconvenient, as well as convenient, times. Stick-to-itiveness spirituality is allowing the Lord to possess our selves in all circumstances as we do the God’s work. Our goal upon the waves of life, therefore, becomes to humbly but righteously declare as Paul did to Timothy that our ministry is fulfilled and that “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4: 7)

Constant Discernment of Vision

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it; but that it is too low and we reach it.
—Michelangelo

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Fulton, Md., has a wonderful name for their youth ministry activities: AYM (Assisi Young Ministry) High. What a wonderful source of encouragement to young people—AYM High. When Christ has taken possession of us, as Paul suggested to the Philippians, and we engage in a pursuit hoping to attain perfect maturity, we’ve placed our aim to the highest target possible.

Discernment of this vision demands a supportive, nurturing, challenging community of friends. This is essential for two diverse reasons. First, a community of friends are the ones who can best see the gifts and possibilities within us and encourage us to aim high. Also, this same community might help us see beyond the iconic perceptions of our “heroic” life choices. Authentic maturity must incorporate our daily living with choices of faith. The heroic choices of Sunday must be integrated into the daily choices of Monday morning, Wednesday afternoon, and late-night Saturday.

Finally, the ocean of life is continuously changing. While we must keep our eyes intent upon the horizon, we need to continue to allow our vision to evolve and refocus as well. “No one puts new wine into old wineskins…” (Luke 5: 37). The Lord of the wind and sea invites us to continually go deeper in faith. While there is apparent safety in remaining close to the coast and what is known, our ocean experience is rich in abundance waiting only for discovery and exploration. Without openness to the new, we’re left with our old unsatisfactory whines.

Commitment: Communal and Public

We are made to persist. That’s how we find out who we are.
—Tobias Wolff

What lifts our spirituality of stick-to-itiveness to the extraordinary is that we publicly commit to it. A personal pledge to dieting is solidified with a contract with the counselors and programs at Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers. The marathon runner trains for months to make a strong showing amidst the fans and other runners on race day. Many ordinary couples live together. Marriage, however, is the extraordinary, sacramental life choice experienced publicly.

Both for adolescents as well as adults, public successes and failures, our internal perceptions of them, and the external responses to them all mesh together to determine our self-perceptions. It is only in truly experiencing achievement and disappointment in public that we build character. Feigned attempts to deny accomplishments or distresses due to perceived humility or shame only impede our growth.

Our personal choices, lived publicly, can become prophetic moments in a culture starved for spiritual leadership. For Daniel of the Hebrew Scriptures, as well as his associates Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, the more seemingly mundane decisions regarding diet and speaking truth and defining vision to power are as essential to their faith stories as was standing amidst the flames of doubt and persecution.

Furthermore, we can’t be so focused on the journey’s end that we miss the mileposts along the way. The incremental accomplishments of our lives must be celebrated. As a youth ministry community, we’ve focused in on the rites of passages for young people; adults need them too. Birthdays and anniversaries, of course, but do we commemorate our starting day of employment, our years in service, and our relationships as fully as we could or should? In a world where many feel disenfranchised, we need to celebrate each other and ourselves a little bit more, recognizing the wonders that the Spirit has worked in our lives.

Forward Movement: The Daily Something

You’re not obligated to win. You’re obligated to keep trying to do the best you can every day.
—Marian Wright Edelman

The spirituality of stick-to-itiveness requires (awkward as it is to say) that one actually sticks to it. Consider the postage stamp. Its usefulness consists in sticking to one thing till it gets there. Each moment and each day, the journey of the stamp is related to the words and messages contained within the envelope. Stick-to-itiveness requires that we live lives of integrity—that our choices and actions, made each moment and each day, reflect the person and the faith found within us.

Those of us who aspire to live spiritual lives have attached ourselves to the words, messages, traditions, practices, and beliefs of our faith. Our usefulness, mission, and ministry can be found within that to which we have attached ourselves. Sin is what occurs when our choices and actions corrupt the embodiment of our person, our hopes, and our intentions.

The spirituality of stick-to-itiveness isn’t found in the ups and downs of the journey. It’s found in the moment-to-moment decisions to continue to advance the ride, fight the tide, and stick with the word. How we do that should be ritualized and practiced in a regular resolute pattern—reminding us of our public commitments toward our shared vision.

The practices of the ordinary spirituality of stick-to-itiveness are the ordinary practices of spiritual life. Discipleship requires discipline. “Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.” (Romans 12: 11-12)

It’s the disciplines of prayer, mediation, journaling, and communal worship that communicate with a source and a power higher than ourselves. It’s the discipline of discernment that continuously questions our motives (not as a matter of unsure faith but as a process of refining the intentionality of our purpose-filled lives). It’s the discipline of imagination and creativity, offering work and ministry day-by-day beyond the common or mundane, which recommits the soul to the Creator. It’s within the discipline of optimism that we remain hopeful and anticipatory of the Spirit’s role in our lives. It’s within the discipline of courage that we bear afflictions and allow them to define our character. It’s the discipline of organization and structure that frees the spirit to seek the godly in the details of our systems by demanding that our mission remains personal and relational.

It’s the disciple of stick-to-itiveness that makes this spirituality into something which aspires for the extraordinary. This is, after all, an ordinary response to the extraordinary Lord who loves us and sticks with us throughout it all.

Just Keep Swimming

There is no poverty that can overtake diligence.
—Japanese Proverb

The Father and Daughter concluded their adventures on the ocean by watching a movie that evening. Keeping with their ocean theme and bonding time, Finding Nemo seemed to be the appropriate rental.

Marlin is a father fish who searches for his missing son, Nemo, with the assistance of the forgetful but relentlessly optimistic Dory. The climax involves Marlin and Nemo teaming together to rescue Dory who has become the catch-of-the-day with many other fish in a large net.

Marlin and Nemo encourage the captive fish to no longer resign themselves to their fate but to strain against the net and swim towards freedom. “Keep swimming,” they demand. (Dory, of course, happily converts this into a cheerful little song, “Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.”)

The daughter snuggled a little closer to the father. “That’s a great way to see life, isn’t it?” she suggested. “Just keep swimming.”

D. Scott Miller, when not charging waves with his youngest daughter Meghan, is the associate director of the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry.