One Way To Hear God

    So you know you need to pray, but you're sick of just saying the "Our Father," "Hail Mary," and "Glory Be..." over and over again...but you don't know how to pray on your own. Don't worry, I've got a personalized prayer for you whenever you need it.

    First, Grab a Bible (Bible apps work). Then I need you to ask God to give you a number, 1-150. Once you have that number, turn to that Psalm and read it as a prayer (slowly).

    God wants to tell us things, but hearing God's voice often takes patience. And if his voice is not familiar to us, it gets lost in the noise. In seminary I would pray with the Psalms. I called it Bible Roulette. You can also open Bible Roulette to books such as Sirach, Proverbs, Wisdom, and the New Testament.

    Bible Roulette has gotten me through many challenges in my life. One night a few years ago, my parents were getting on my nerves (more than usual). That night, I went to a quiet place to pray. I asked God to give me something to help me with my parents. He put Sirach 7:27-28 on my heart. 
    "With your whole heart honor your father; your mother's birth pangs forget not. Remember, of these parents you were born; what can you give them for all they gave you?" I had a good laugh and was good with my parents ever since...because God reminded me that I owe them my life. God has things that he wants to tell you, if you can't hear what he's telling you, you can read it.

Listening to God

    One of the most important parts of a relationship is communication. More specifically, the ability to listen. Do you listen to God? You might be thinking "Jason, I can't even hear God. How do I know if he's even saying anything?" In order to hear God you need two things, inner silence and familiarity. If inner silence is missing there's a lot of other voices and you can lose God's in the craziness, especially if you can't even recognize his voice.
    Let's start with quieting our minds. In order for this to happen, we need to be comfortable with silence. A way to do this is to find a quiet place and just sit (or walk) for 10 minutes without saying or thinking of anything. Just try to listen. Okay, listen to what? God speaks to us in different ways. Sometimes it is a scripture verse, a vision, a word/phrase, or a really strong feeling that brings comfort.
    Now the big question, how can you know God's voice? That's simple, the Bible. It is the living word of God. That means you can read it over and over again, but it will pull at a different part of your heart depending on what you're going through that day. When reading the Bible, start with the Gospels. The more scripture you read, the more you can detect God's voice. God isn't trying to hide his voice from you. It takes discipline and sacrifice to be able to recognize it. God never said your life would be easy and filled with things that bring short term happiness. He promised that if you followed Christ, your life would be like his...eternally celebrating your self-sacrifice for God and his people.

Lent Is Here!!!!

    Lent is here...and so are meatless Friday's. What genius came up with that rule? That's old school, why should we still do it? Didn't Christ say, "It's not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth." Matthew 15:11. So why do we abstain from meat on Fridays?

    So have you ever grown apart from a friend? Perhaps a breakup? The week after the breakup you still have the habit of reaching for your phone to text that person, but then you think, "eh, better not." That event causes your normal routine to get a little tilted. That is exactly why we abstain from meat on Fridays. It is also why many people offer something up during Lent.

    The moment you open your lunch and see a PB & J rather than a BLT, it's a chance to unite with Catholics all over the world in a physical form of prayer. Fasting and abstaining is offering up our desires as a prayer for our intentions and for the entire Church. These minor sacrifices helps God prepare us for when we are tempted by the Evil One. "If I can say no to a piece of bacon, I can say no to peaking at the test answers."

    This Friday, don't think of it as not being able to have meat, but as a chance to grow in self control and having the confidence that whatever you pray for that day is more impactful. It is said that prayer without fasting is like boxing with one hand tied behind your back...this Lent, untie that second hand.

It It Your Superpower?

    Dear single people, you are single for a reason. No, it's not because of your bad BO or you have a face only a mother could love. It's because at this moment, you have a better chance at Heaven as a single person than in a relationship.

    We get so caught up with "the good ones are all taken" as if men and women are trophies. In the movie Miracle, the USA hockey coach said "I'm not looking for the best players, I'm looking for the right ones." People are not rated trophies. We all bring something unique into each relationship we're in. Marriage happens when the guy and gal brings gifts to the marriage that pulls them self and their spouse closer to God.

    If you haven't met that person, it's for one of two reasons. Either you need to prepare before you meet your spouse so that you and him/her have the best chance of getting to heaven, or God is calling you to a greater life. 1 Corinthians 7:8-9 reads, "Now to the unmarried and widows, I (Paul) say: it is a good thing for them to remain as they are, as I do, but if they cannot exercise self-control they should marry, for it is better to marry than to be on fire." If you can control your desires, you can do so much more of God's work as a single person than you could as a married person. As a single person, you can support more people than just your spouse. Having that self-control is a gift from God, and don't let anyone tell you different. Remember that marriage is not an end goal. It is a gift from God to help certain people get into heaven.
    A tip for everyone out there, if you aren't comfortable with being single, you're not ready for a relationship. You're simply defining yourself by the guy/girl you're dating.