Built on Rock

Readings 062526 

When I entered the diaconate program,

 I was still recovering from an illness 

that nearly took my life. 

I was weak, still healing, 

still wondering what God was doing with me. 

And all that brought insecurities.

As I moved through the program, 

I can still hear the critiques: 

“Your preaching isn’t very good.” 

“You don’t explain Scripture well enough.” 

I even served with priests who timed my homilies— 

“You went over your six minutes.” 

One even told me I was embarrassing.

Maybe they were right. 

I pray my preaching is a little better now. 

But God still has me here.

I didn’t come from fancy stock. 

My parents were not ricj. 

My family was country. 

I did not do great in school.  

I loaded trucks, I struggled to make a living, 

and stumbled into my career in safety— 

Helping people in agriculture and construction crews. 

Nothing elite. 

Nothing polished. 

Just honest work and everyday people.

But even in all that, 

I knew God had called me. 

And I know He still does. 

So I try to answer Him in the only way I know how— 

with simple words, 

with a country heart, 

with a life that tries to live the Gospel I proclaim.

Because God isn’t moved by appearances or titles. 

He isn’t impressed by “Lord, Lord.” 

He looks for a heart that keeps His word— 

a heart that listens, 

a heart that obeys.

Jesus says, 

“Whoever loves me will keep my word.” 

Love is proven in obedience. 

Faith is proven in action.

The wise man builds on rock— 

hearing and doing. 

The foolish man builds on sand— 

hearing and ignoring.

So today, let our actions match our faith. 

Let our lives preach louder than our words. 

And may God find in us 

not a résumé, 

but a willing heart built solidly on Him.

Prayer

Lord Jesus,
Give me a heart that listens 

 for Your word.
Make my love steady, 

 my obedience true.
Set my feet 

 on the rock of Your will.
Let my life preach louder  than my voice.
And build in me  

 a home for Your Father’s glory. 

Amen

One Life, One Call

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

Readings 062426 

We only have one life to live.
One brief span of years,
one small chapter in the long story of history.
And in that chapter,
we are not merely present—
we help to shape the world
God has placed around us.

Once God calls you,
everything begins to shift.
Your priorities,
your desires,
your sense of direction.
Slowly you begin to see
that your life is not random or accidental.
It is a signal grace,
a doorway through which Christ
longs to step into the world.

John the Baptist reveals this truth with clarity.
There was a holy hush around his birth—
a child promised,
a name spoken from heaven:
“You shall name the child John,
and many will rejoice at his birth.”
His life carried purpose
before he ever spoke a word,
for surely the hand of the Lord was with him.

As he grew,
John embraced that purpose
with a fierce humility.
He knew who he was,
and he knew who he was not.
“What you suppose me to be, I am not,” he said.
“Look instead for the One who comes after me.”
John refused the spotlight
because his whole mission
was to point beyond himself
to the Lamb of God.

And so the Church rejoices—
not only in John’s birth,
but in the clarity of his vocation.
He teaches us how to live our own calling:
with courage,
with humility,
with a heart that makes room for Christ.

So let Christ speak your name
into the quiet of your soul.
Remember:
you have one life,
one call,
one sacred chance
to point the world toward Him.

Less of us.
More of Jesus.
A life that quietly shapes history
by the way it leads others
to the Lamb.

Prayer

Lord Jesus,
speak my name into the quiet of my soul.
Let my one life become a doorway for Your grace.
Give me courage to follow,
humility to point beyond myself,
and a heart that leads others to the Lamb. Amen