A Servants of the Word Tribute

I've departed from the ranks of the Servants of the Word, and I wanted to give a fitting farewell speech at the last event I attended. But it never materialized. So, I've written my thoughts and thanks down and decided they would make a good post.

• Thank you, Don DeSmith. You taught me how to water ski. I’m sure I taught you some patients in the process (let’s face it, I started pretty bad) but I thank you for teaching me to persevere and not give up at something, even when I’m bad at it.

• Thank you Brian Laba, for teaching me the finer points of life: ultimate Frisbee, flora and fauna, and how to lead in UCO. The most beneficial experience was seeing you lead by example.

• Thank you Stu Ferguson, for teaching me even though I’m Catholic, I’ll still get to heaven, even if it’s just barely, and being a Christian doesn’t mean being a candy ass.

• Thank you Gary Sacharski, for being brutally honest with me during men’s group, and basically every other time we talked.

• Thank you Steve Clark, for telling me to leave Pittsburgh in the first place. I would have missed out on something special if I didn’t leave.

• To my lounge brothers: Toufic, Luis, and Michi. Thank you! You were real inspirations for me and you always could make me laugh. May the Lord continue to bless you as you move forward in your calls.

• Thank you Dan Keating and Ted Kennedy for showing me the blessings of living life as a man of prayer and order. I have grown a lot in these areas (especially order) because of the example you’ve given me.

• Thank you Joseph Mathias, for being a great roommate. We prayed together, drank together, and were rebuked together. What more could you ask for in a brother in the Lord?

• Finally, thank you Nico Angleys. You’ve been a great mentor and friend over the past years. You were my main influence for my decision to become an affiliate. May the Lord bless you as much as you have been a blessing to me.

It was a special time for me. I'll never forget it!

Getting Distracted?

I think it's really easy to blog about the news. It's always changing, there's always something happening, and there's always the next big thing. Think about this: did you wake up and say, "wow the oil in the gulf has stopped!" Maybe. It was more likely than, "the United States is at war right now." No one really remembers until an article comes out and a general doesn't speak too well of the Commander-in-Chief. (How may people knew General McCrystal was in charge of Afghanistan? Tell the truth!) Or did you wake up and say, "Mel Gibson wanted to burn his girlfriend's house down." Mr. Gibson's meltdown is like watching an episode of America's Wildest Police Chases, but in the long term, that's not going to matter. Afghanistan still should matter, until Lindsey Lohan goes or gets out of jail. Then we'll be moving on yet again.

But what would be a really tough blog. Ferrets. There's this movie PBS created devoted to the topic. But how could people actually live like that?

I stand corrected.


People have the desire in today's day and age to want to distract and remove all hardship and pain. But I've found the times where I learned the most were the times when I got through a hardship. I'd imagine it's the same for you. So let's not get distracted by things like Mel Gibson, Justin Beiber, ferrets, and LeBron James leaving to go to Miami. Let's remember there's still real things happening which require our attention.

It's easy to pick on the Christians

Have you ever noticed Christians are usually the easiest targets to attack? Think about it. You have nothing to lose when going after a Christian. Sure they could do physical harm to you if provoked, but then they would be hypocrites of their faith. The provoker would simply throw Scripture right back at the Christian. "What happened to 'do unto others' or 'turn the other cheek?'" Oh yeah, I could hear it now.

But the same people who would attack Christians are usually the first ones to say, "We need tolerance for the Muslim faith. It's our fault they attack us." What? Why? Christians often get provoked, but you don't see it as a terrorist cell or an ideology which wants to wipe Islam off the map.

Why won't the people attacking Christianity attack Islam? Is it because you might get a suicide bomber at your front door? Is it because people fear what happened to Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard when he is attacked for drawing a picture of Muhammad? Is it because Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh is killed for creating a film on Islam?

Christians though have been standing up to Islam, and getting martyred for it. Instead of fearing them, they try to live peacefully. When they are martyred, they make the ultimate sacrifice for their faith and for the Kingdom of the Lord. They are not hiding behind anything. They are standing up more than anyone. So go ahead and mock and ridicule Christians. It's the easy way out. But dying for your beliefs and standing in times of trial is something most people aren't willing to stomach anymore. Here's to the Christian martyrs, who are some of the most courageous people on the planet.