A Great Cloud of Witnesses: Give Away Winner [2]

Wow. Thank you to everyone who shared this project, filled out the survey, emailed me, texted me, and commented on facebook. I'm really excited about where this is going to go and how this is going to help people. Together, I really think we're going to create something beautiful.

I'm going to keep the survey open so that you all can continue to submit suggestions of women to speak to and questions you want to ask them.

I'm excited to announce the winner of the giveaway: Erica! Erica won for tweeting about the project, but she also filled out the survey. Congratulations, friend. Thanks for sharing and reading!

Read about a project my friend is starting! Take the survey! Let's create & learn from a Great Cloud of Witnesses. http://t.co/Enrh7STPA5
— Erica Wagner (@ericamaureen6) March 11, 2015

I'm going to spend this week reading through the survey results, talking to other friends with ideas and contacts on the phone, finalizing my interview questions, and reaching out to some of these women. I'll keep you all updated on the status of this project, but know that we're getting started!

7QTs on Camp Reunions, Running into People on the El, and Cats on Ottomans

--one--

I've lived in Chicago for 6 1/2 weeks now. Can you believe it!? I hardly can. This has been such a great move for me. It has been so great to be in the city for so many reasons. The weather is getting nice here (it's going to be 60 today!!) and in a very short amount of time it will be nice enough to play on the lake! 

--two--

Tuesday was an AWESOME day for mail. I finally gave in and ordered an Erin Condren Planner and it showed arrived in bright and shining colors along with Shauna Niequist's new devotional!! I am loving the blank spaces in the planner to organize what I need to get done each day and just how colorful and fun it is! I can hardly wait to crack open Shauna's book. I'm waiting to start until I turn 25 next week. 

--three--

When Maggie and I met up when I first moved to Chicago, she said "my favorite thing about camp is that you constantly have friends around no matter where life takes you." Adding truth to her comment, I ran into these two wonderful girls on my way to work on Wednesday. I was lucky enough to have Pria as a camper for three weeks in 2010. I got to know her sister Shreya those three weeks two. It was the perfect start to my Wednesday.

--four--

Wednesday was a day full of CT love. Maggie and the Evoy's organized a CT Chicago alumni reunion. What's great about camp people is that even though I didn't know a lot of the girls that were at the reunion, by the end of the night we were all old friends. We played a game where you won fake points for each phrase from a camp cheer you could work in to normal conversation. Costigan won by a landslide - my favorite was when she exclaimed "Oh a day lay!!!!"

I'm so excited to stay close and connected with these friends I already knew, and even more excited to continue to get to know these new camp friends. We're going to make these reunions a monthly thing. It's going to be so great.

Pathfinders & Braves are best friends. 

--five--

My new boss, Danielle, had a birthday last week and mine is this coming Tuesday. We got out of a staff meeting yesterday, and I made a comment that I was hungry and wanted a snack. Lupe said she thought our Event Service Workers might have had a snack downstairs, so she was going to go check. She came up with a cake! Moral of the story: if you say you want a snack, someone just might show up with a cake. 

--six--

I have this little blue ottoman in my apartment that Kateri has claimed for herself. Doesn't it look like her Cat Throne?

--seven--

I'm really excited about where this project is going and the enthusiasm I've received from readers. Thank you so much to everyone who has responded to the survey with suggestions and to everyone who has shared the initiative. The survey and raffle entry are open through the end of the weekend, so you still have time to make suggestions and share the launch of the project. Check it out here. 

For more Quick Takes, visit This Ain't the Lyceum.

A Great Cloud of Witnesses: A New Project

I truly believe one of the greatest gifts Christ gave us in the Church are the saints. I know I struggle when I try to run after Him alone, but when I have someone cheering alongside me I am encouraged, motivated, and propelled deeper into the Heart of Christ. 

This is definitely one of the reasons why I'm so big on community. This is also one of the reasons why I love Hebrews 12:1 so much:

Since then we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Man, was I surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses in FOCUS. These incredible people gave up so much to pursue Jesus wholeheartedly. 

FOCUS' mission is on the college campus, but it's real mission is to launch people into lifelong Catholic mission. But now that I'm working in the "real world" (as real as a college campus can be), I really have to ask - what does that even mean? 

I know what it looks like in a Parish, and thanks to the many Catholic mom's that I stalk whose blogs I follow, I think I have an idea of how to do it once I start a family.

But what does life long Catholic mission mean for me as a single 20-something professional young adult? Heck, what does being Catholic even look like as a single-20 something professional young adult?

Honestly, I don't know. I don't have much experience with it, and my cloud of witnesses is looking small.

I know you're out there. You are the warriors, the white martyrs, the saints of tomorrow. You love Jesus with your whole heart, and you inspire your co-workers and your friends to be better people. I want to talk to you, to learn from you, to add you to my cloud. 

And so today, I am very excited to announce my new project: A Great Cloud of Witnesses. 

I will be talking to professional Catholic women that you and I know, and asking them about their faith. After we chat, I will be sharing what I learned here so that we can unite as the one body of Christ and be strengthened in our faith.

This project is meant for us to lift one another up, to inspire one another in our journey towards heaven. It is to remind us that we are not alone as we try to pray and figure out how to honor Jesus in our work. Most of all, it is meant for us to learn from our sisters who are running after Christ.

Before I start, I need your help! What do you want to know from these women? If you could sit down with them for coffee, what would you ask them? What about being a professional Catholic is hard for you?

Who do you know that you admire as a professional, Catholic or Christian woman? I have a list started, but I want our cloud to grow. 

Tell me what you know or who I should talk to by filling out this survey. As a thank you for your assistance, you'll be entered into a raffle to win Shauna Niequist's new devotional, Savor, and a $25 Amazon Gift Card. You can enter the Raffle by tweeting this link to share this project with your friends, and by filling out the survey. 

Please pray for me and for everyone that will be involved as I venture out on this journey. I'm so excited to begin and I pray that together, we will be inspired to run the race that is set out for us.

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Hunger Pangs

I didn’t prepare my kitchen for Ash Wednesday. The only things I had in my possession this morning was bacon, chicken, a box of uncooked pasta, and an enormous box of chocolate covered almonds – things that don’t work well for a day when I am abstaining from meat and a lent where I'm basically giving up all of that. Thankfully, living in the city is awesome, so I popped into a grocery store on my way to the Red Line to pick up two meals for the day. I grabbed a smoothie for breakfast and some soup for lunch.

Four o’clock hit and I realized I was hungry.

Out of nowhere, the Holy Spirit reminded me that these little hunger pangs are nothing compared to the hunger my soul feels for the love of Christ. And that desire is so small compared to the hunger Christ feels for me to know and follow Him.  

So throughout lent as you feel the pangs for the ice cream you gave up, for the ability to Facebook stalk, or for a juicy steak on Friday, I pray those little aches remind you of how deeply Christ wants you to know His love for you.

 

Happy Ash Wednesday.

Wait, It's 2015 Already?

I rang in 2015 sitting in the fifth row of chairs in Ryman Hall C at the Gaylord Opryland with John Paul, Mike, & Chris Stefanik (cough name dropping cough cough). We were pouring over the SEEK programming timeline, making sure every detail for the opening of the conference would be just right, making sure it would set a tone of fun and openness so the Holy Spirit could begin to work in the hearts of the 9,500 college students that would be in attendance.

At 12:03 AM, Mike noticed the time. "Hey guys, it's 2015." Chris suggested we pray a Hail Mary. We did, and then got right back to work.

The next six days were a blur of conference production and coffee, followed by a blur of moving and adjusting. When I finally got a chance to process that it was already 2015, I was tired. I spent a lot of 2014 tired and lonely. It was kind of a crap year that I don't really want to repeat. I wasn't focused, and I wasn't purposeful.

I've never been any good at keeping resolutions. So instead, I'm going with two words to set the tone for 2015. I want them to be my mantra, my rally cry, and the motivating force behind all that I choose to do. Be intentional.

I turn 25 in March - quarter of a century old. For most of my life, I've lived in that relativistic, do-what-feels-good mindset. And even though I'm aware of it now, it can still creep into my habits and my daily choices. So this year, I'm going to combat that by being intentional.

I want to ask myself "how can I be intentional" about all the different priorities in my life: my faith, my relationships, my career, my time, my health, etc.

I think this 2015 mantra could mean big things for my year, especially as I focus on it day by day.

image via.

7QTs on 38+ Goodbyes in 7 Days

Woof. It has been a whirlwind of a two weeks. I have packed up my entire life, driven it to Kansas, and found place to live in Illinois. More importantly, I have listened to Serial in it's entirety and am obsessed. I cannot wait for season two, or to start listening to This American Life on my new public transportation commute.

But I digress. Since I waited to tell anyone I was moving until I told the Events Team after SEEK, my last week in Colorado was packed back to back saying goodbye to my favorite people and my favorite places. So today I give you 7QTs on 38+ goodbyes in 7 days!

--one--

The day after I got home from SEEK, my housemates and I had our last dinner. It was awesome to sit around the living room with Carolyn, Mary, Jenna, & Matika talking about life and eating Swing Thai - Colorado Bucket List Item!

--two--

Last Thursday, I met up with my favorite Camp Tecumsehites who live in Denver. It has been a huge blessing to have Holly, Arielle, and Molly living in Denver while I was here. We ate at Trattoria Stella's and talked about our lives and our hopes for the futures while drinking delicious wine. Eating here was a Colorado Bucket List Item!

--three--

On Friday, we had an Events Team Send Off. JP is getting married and moving to LA, and I'm moving to Chicago. I love these people fiercely and already miss them so much. When I joined the Events Team, I didn't realize how great of friends these people would become. As I continue to grow in my life, I hope to become more like them in their professionalism and their faith. 

--four--

Saturday was a road trip through Colorado. In the morning I met Shelby in Boulder for brunch. After some great catching up, I made a quick stop at Celestial Seasonings, then drove north to Fort Collins to meet baby Pierce and say goodbye to the Sebastian's. Miles and I are finally best friends, right in time for me to move. Dana was my missionary at Drake and it has been such a blessing having her and Derek so close. They are a beautiful example of a fun and holy family could look like!

--five--

On Sunday I got to hit a few of my favorite Denver spots. It started with Mass at the Cathedral, followed by brunch at Fork and Spoon with Sophie and Lindsay.

Then I got to do some writing at The Book Bar. I ended the night at St. Jude's

The girls in my discipleship group are so sweet - I'm going to miss them so much! It's crazy to see how much they've grown and matured in the last 1.5 years. We read through Luke ch. 4 and Jesus talks about now it is time for him to go to a new place to preach. It was the perfect passage to end my time with these girls on.

After youth group, the leaders went and got a drink. I have a special bond with these people. It has been awesome to work for the same mission alongside them and have some good, old fashioned fun with them. Pray for Megan, Ramon, Alexei, Terri, & the Candler's as they continue to show the teens at St. Jude's Jesus' love.

--six--

Bible Study is on Monday's, so we had a big party this week. These women have shaped my past semester in such a profound way. I seriously don't know how I would have survived without them. It is incredible what God does when a group of people get together with the intention of growing closer to Him. They are going to keep Bible Study going and that just makes my heart so happy!

--seven--

On Tuesday, I got dinner with the newly married Stephens and got to catch up with them. It had been awhile since I'd seen them, so it was cool to see how married life was treating them!

Wednesday was my last day in the office. It was filled with Beau Thai and many bittersweet goodbyes. 

Finally, Mom and Tommy arrived Wednesday night. We rounded out the goodbyes to my friends by grabbing dinner at Beau Jo's Pizza with Steph and Joanna.

The next day we crossed off "appreciate the mountains" and "pray at the Mother Cabrini Shrine" off my bucket list. 

In the end, the only two things I didn't get to do on my Colorado Bucket List were skiing and visiting the 16th Street Mall. I'd say it was a pretty successful week of goodbye's!

For more quick takes, check out This Ain't The Lyceum.

New FOCUS Blog Post: The Conversation That Changed How I Evangelized

Hey friends, Happy Monday!

I'm writing today over at FOCUS, so hop on over and check it out!