When God Shows Up: Steubenville of the Rockies 2014

When God shows up, big things happen.

That is what is so great about conferences; God always shows up. Whether there were glitches or everything went off perfectly, He is there to change lives.

We talk on the FOCUS Events Team about how our job is to remove any natural obstacles that could prevent a student from encountering Jesus. We want to create an environment that allows students to be vulnerable, so that the Holy Spirit can come in and transform their hearts. I am so blessed that I get to work towards that goal every single day in the office, thanks to the generosity of my mission partners.

The meeting planners achieved that goal for close to 3,000 kids this weekend.

This weekend I got to watch my girls fall on their knees and cry and praise Jesus.

I got to listen to their reservations, their struggles, and their hopes for the weekend.

 And then I got to watch Jesus come into their lives and show them how real He is and how deeply He loves them.

Image via Mega Weber.

I got to sit with girls who wanted to know why they are Catholic,

girls who wanted to know who they truly are - not just the 4.0 student, not just the artist, not just the quiet kid, but where their identity lies,

girls who wanted Jesus to come in and heal their hearts,

and girls who wanted to know if He was even real at all.

Best small group evaaaaa.

These kids put big questions in front of God and trusted. And when they did that, He showed up.

And when God shows up, big things happen.

Some of these girls are now considering a call to the Religious Life.

Some of these girls are excited to reenergize their home parish and youth groups.

Some of these girls want to be confirmed to really commit their lives to Jesus.

All these girls want Jesus to be their everything, the center of their lives, and of their hearts.

When God shows up, big things happen.

This weekend I was humbled as I walked alongside these incredible young women. I watched them come alive and exude radiant joy. I was renewed in my call to high school youth ministry and to conference planning. I was grateful for the gift of conferences and retreats that help us get away from the world to connect with Christ.

Thank you Jesus for friendship, vulnerability, and joy. Thank you for hard conversations and open hearts. Thank you for loving us enough to sacrifice yourself on the cross for us.

May we live in our lives in humble gratitude, remembering that you love us enough to show up not just at these big events, but in our every day lives.

How to Throw a DIVINE MERCY POPE PARTY

Thanks to Catholic Icing, FOCUS Equip, & The Marians of the Immaculate Conception's Divine Mercy App for the ideas and resources!

Yesterday was a HUGE day: Divine Mercy Sunday (DMS) & The Canonization of two awesome Popes! So obviously, I threw a Pope Party for my high school girls.

1. Make sure everyone is wearing blue or red in honor of DMS.

2. Start off with chapter 2 of the FOCUS Scriptural Apologetics Bible Study. This study is great, and helps students practically understand how Jesus established his kingdom and why we have a Pope.

3. Remind your girls that it's Divine Mercy Sunday, so to celebrate to need to eat DIVINE MERCY SUNDAES. 

4. Craft a Pope Puppet while eating said Sundaes and pretend that you are 5 years old and not 15/24. 

5. Talk about Mercy

6. Pray, and ask God for His Mercy. We prayed the chaplet, because it's awesome.

And that's it!

Little Happies [2]

In the spirit of practicing gratitude, I am back this week with some little happies!

--one--

It's Holy Week, so obviously that's a happy! Michelle (my roommate) & I are going to try to get up early every morning to say morning prayer. Lent has been challenging for me, so I'm excited about this opportunity sprint to the finish line this week.

--two--

While it was nice to have a month long break from traveling, I am excited for what the week ahead holds. I'll be hitting up Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Florida. I love the anticipation of seeing old teammates and students, fellow missionary friends, and spending a lot of time with my team. Hopefully I will return refreshed from Easter and even more excited for SEEK and NST!

--three--

Last week I read an entire trilogy in a few days. Whoops. Matched had beed on my list for awhile now, so I was really excited when I got the email that it was finally available for download onto my Kindle.

image via.

It was an easy read, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the main character Cassia. Probably because I would have picked her to be with a different guy, but whatever. It also really reminded me of the Delirium series.

What I did love was the love of words and poetry the characters have, how the author explored the different types of love, and how she showed that even the revolutions against oppressive systems can be corrupt. It was fun reading the books and escaping into the world of The Society for a bit. 

--four--

Speaking of reading, Megan & I have quasi started a long distance book club. It's really informal, we read a book and then text about it, but it has been really fun. I highly recommend it as a way to stay in touch with a friend and to keep yourself accountable to reading. BONUS: I get to see Megan this week since she lives in KC. 

--five--

I have been about to burst at the seems with passion for youth ministry these past two weeks. So I took sometime this weekend to pray specifically for my girls and set some goals for the summer. I am excited to talk with Megan about making some of these dreams a reality. 

Look at how much fun youth ministry (camp) is!!!

For more happies, check out Blessed to Be!