Did you see “Love Reaches Everywhere” at the conference? The title “Love Reaches Everywhere” was inspired by words Ellen created for a Mary’s Meals t-shirt. Whether you saw it or not, it is worth watching again for a spiritual and joyful boost as you head into Advent. You will find it at the end of this post. What you may not realize is how Mary’s Meals and the Christ Our Life…
By: Jean Severson That busy time of year is upon us. It’s November already, we are eight months into a pandemic, we voted, kids are in school, we gained an hour (of what??) and the holidays are right around the corner. Sometimes the feeling of ‘there isn’t enough time’ beckons its beat into our already overloaded bodies and minds. There just isn’t enough time…. In February of this year, 2020,…
One of the highlights of the Christ Our Life Conference is always the hour of adoration on Saturday night. It is so powerful to be in the darkened arena worshiping our Lord with a multitude of true believers. One of the surprises this year, and a clear sign of God’s wonderful creativity, was the way adoration blessed so many of you online! Of course we all would have preferred to…
The reading for today, Friday, October 23rd, is from Ephesians 4: 1-6 and, it brings to mind the talk from Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers on day one of our conference. Deacon Harold was talking about marriage, and particularly the incredible stresses put on the family during the Covid pandemic. People are worried about jobs, their kids’ schooling and so much more. And in addition to the stress of the pandemic, people…
Driving through downtown Des Moines, I am stopped at the corner by Wells Fargo arena on a sunny, warm fall day. Colorful leaves skitter across the road; the breeze teases a longer summer; and pollen triggers my allergies. Looking at the arena – empty now – I remember the late August day when a small team gathered at that same corner to pray the rosary to prepare the arena for…
My husband Tom and I took a day trip yesterday to enjoy the leaves and the glorious Iowa countryside. One of the things we did in the car was listen to a video by Fr. Michael Gaitley, a Marian Priest. The previous evening we had watched a video entitled “Bakhita, From Slave to Saint.” These two things, the video and the talk by Fr. Gaitley, were an amazing and inspiring…
I find yesterday’s reading from Job to be so hopeful and so comforting during these seemingly chaotic times. It fits so beautifully with the strong message received over and over during the conference this past weekend. “Be not afraid!” I use the word “seemingly” not because we are imagining the turmoil, but because as Christians, we don’t have to live in the chaos. We can choose, sometimes with a force…
Wow, what a weekend the good Lord prepared for us! (along with a little help from His friends.) The Christ Our Life Conference was truly a blessed Miracle of Grace. When Covid-19 hit back in February, it never occurred to us that we would still be dealing with it after spring break, much less in September. But as the months went by, and Satan put roadblock after roadblock in our…
