Freedom:  Earn this.  Earn it.

Our prayer for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Lord, you have always been for us, even when there were no fountains or springs of water; it was you who set for the sea its limit. Because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through your Spirit, our hope does not disappoint. We are justified by faith and have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We stand in grace and boast in hope of the glory of our Creator.

Lord, you have always been for us, even when there were no depths to our horizons, you made firm the skies above. You remain faithfully mindful of us, caring for us as if we were your delight day by day. Find pleasure in us as we play before you all the while through your creation.

Lord, before the mountains were settled into place as you fixed fast the foundations of the earth, we proclaimed how wonderful your name in all the earth! Send the Spirit to guide us to all truth. As the Father has shared with you, Lord, declare to us the truth for our lives.

Time Magazine is out today with a cover story regarding the Pope and the on-going scandal of abuse within the church.

The article’s abstract: The Pope can cite theology and tradition in defense of the church, but with many Catholics wanting a very modern kind of accounting for the sex-abuse scandal, words and ritual may no longer be enough.

The article goes on to suggest a Vatican response coming forth soon, but that maybe wishful thinking on the mainstream media’s part and not the desire of the Church.  We’ll see…

Saw this picture (Sebastian Willnow/AFP/Getty Images) on-line. It was taken at an annual Wave-Gothic festival in Leipzig, eastern Germany.

And this is probably offering far too great an insight into my own sense of humor, but my first thought was…

Summer lovin’ had me a blast, Summer lovin’ happened so fast.  I met a girl crazy for me, Met a boy cute as can be. Summer days driftin’ away, to uh-oh those summer nights – - Uh Well-a well-a well-a huh, Tell me more, tell me more…

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent.
It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage—
to move in the opposite direction.

— Albert Einstein

It’s been a while, but we are about to upgrade our content to two-a-days again.  We did this for months on end with the whole caffeine set of postings.

And that is a funny announcement that I wrote two weeks ago…  in actuality, we posted twice a day all week this week!

Our daily schedule seems to have grown into the following:  Sunday is the lectionary-based mash-up prayer, Tuesday is Catholic Youth Ministry News, Wednesday is a video clip, Friday is a quote, and Saturday is an insight into my slightly warped sense of humor.  It’s a good rhythm and discipline that makes sense probably more to the one who posts rather than to the one who reads.

Right after Memorial Day and with the begriming of summer and June, we move back to continue posting two on Mondays to Fridays!

Tim Schmoyer helps to put it all in perspective.

But yet, for as many people as Jesus helped, even more people were left unhealed, unchallenged, and untaught. Almost every day He traveled by communities that were full of of people who could’ve been blessed by His time and attention.

Not even Jesus tried to do it all. Neither should your ministry.

Most of us will read this and intellectually agree, but far too many of us are acting like we’re greater than Jesus while leading ministries that are trying to out-perform Him.

In the most recent issue of The Catholic Mirror of the Diocese of Des Moines, Bishop Richard Pates introduces his first pastoral letter to the diocese. The topic is… adolescent catechesis!

Pates indicates that his prayer and hope is “that every high school aged young person in the Diocese of Des Moines will accept this gift of faith with all of its challenges and in a culture that makes endless demands of them; that all parents will welcome this process and see the Church in Southwest Iowa as partners with them in handing on faith to their children; that our parishes will embrace this gift and be fully engaged in the journey of faith with the young church of Des Moines.”

The bishop concludes “My young friends, you are essential to the vibrant life of the Church of Des Moines. Count on my support and prayer in enabling your participation in our life together.”

This whole legacy thing is not actually a looking back at the end of your life thing… but at the end of your day thing. 

What did you move forward just a step or a half-step or a quarter-step? How did you present yourself today?

Did you reach, did you grasp? Did you do WOW?

Every day does have a legacy; every day can be a masterpiece.

Want a legacy?  Start with that next morning, that next meeting or program, that next new relationship… Start with what’s next not with what’s gone by.

Seth Godin posted up a Simple Five Step Plan for Just About Everyone and Everything this morning.  It is worth repeating and sharing.  Here we go:

The number of people you need to ask for permission keeps going down:

1. Go, make something happen.

2. Do work you’re proud of.

3. Treat people with respect.

4. Make big promises and keep them.

5. Ship it out the door.

When in doubt, see #1.