Pain in a Parish
No pain, no gain is a persistent maxim not only in personal exercise, but also in life. The good things we want in life seem to only come through some […]
Posts from 2016
11 – 20 of 20 items
Motivation In Ministry
Sometimes I wonder where I find the strength to stay the course. I mean I’ve been “doing” ministry for a long time. I have lots of experience, but deep down […]
The Secret Sauce for True Community
There’s a huge emphasis for our parishes to be welcoming communities, and this emphasis is good! Yet, do we recognize the missing piece to community? It is the one critical element […]
Too Big to be Effective
I have had the pleasure of visiting several parishes that are not only large in size and membership, but also in the number of ministries. There is an amazing fruit […]
Is Jesus the Lord of our time?
In my travels around the country, it has become clear that the current church is going to require great movement before it can succeed in implementing the New Evangelization. God […]
Everyone knows we need to do this, But…
Almost nine years ago, I purchased this old house in Steubenville, OH. It is an amazing house and we are so blessed (by the Blessed Mother who got it for […]
The Importance of Listening in Prayer
Prayer, the number two answer to every question given in a faith formation class behind Jesus. We know prayer is the answer, yet we struggle to make time for it. […]
Myth: The Magic Pill
We are creatures of habit and bad habits are very hard to kill. The same is true within parishes attempting to do something concerning the New Evangelization. Most parishes are […]
Who transforms parishes?
If you are anything like me, it has taken you several years to realize that while you might have some really good gifts, they are of little consequence unless God […]
Maintenance vs. Mission
If you have ever seen the movie, The Shawshank Redemption, then you are familiar with the famous quote, “Get busy living or get busy dying.” If we polled Pastors and […]