Jason
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Want Peace? Prove It.
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in ReflectionsEverybody says they want peace. But do they really? Do you? Last weekend I served as a lector at Mass and proclaimed the reading from the first book of Kings, in which Elijah heard the voice of God not in the storm, earthquake, or fire, but in a still, small voice. (1 Kings 19:9-13) God…
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The Problem with God’s Path
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in ReflectionsIt’s that time of year when many young adults are leaving home for the first time. The future is calling, and college is the obvious next step. I feel bad they’ve been led to believe they must confidently declare what they will do for the rest of their lives. I feel worse for their future…
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Donuts & Deodorant
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in ReflectionsEvery single airplane was grounded by the storms surrounding the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. I wasn’t worried. Kim and I had a three-hour layover in Detroit. Plenty of cushion! We sat on the plane for over an hour before the storm passed. Then the pilot came on to tell us that our fuel tanks were too…
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Shake It Up
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in ReflectionsAndre Cassagnes, the dude who invented the Etch-a-Sketch, was an electrical technician. Cassagnes came up with the idea in his garage when he peeled a translucent decal from a light switch plate and found pencil mark images transferred to the opposite face. Initially dubbed the Telecran, the toy was renamed L’Ecran Magique, or ‘The Magic Screen,’…
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Taking a Stand
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in ReflectionsThis year, my two oldest kids participated in a book club about doing hard things in our homeschool co-op. I had the opportunity to sit in on a discussion one week, and the question was posed: Are you taking a stand for something in your life? What does that look like? When it comes to…
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Coffee with Kim & Jason: Fr. Nick Baumgardner
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Since we started Sheboygan Catholic, our mission has been to help rekindle and grow the faith of Catholics in Sheboygan and beyond. We seek to educate and inspire those who are new, returning, or curious to learn more about the Catholic faith. We’ve been wanting to create an interview series that features conversations about faith…
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The Heavenly Rock Tumbler
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in ReflectionsAlthough I’ve never had one, rock tumblers have always fascinated me. If you didn’t know, a rock tumbler is a hobbyist machine that turns rough, unpolished stones into smooth, gleaming gemstones by simulating the natural tumbling action of rivers and oceans. It works by continually rotating a barrel filled with rocks, water, and progressively finer abrasive “grit” over several…
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Why Do Catholics Worship Statues?
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I’ve been Catholic my entire life, but I’ve also attended many ecumenical gatherings and services from other denominations. In my experiences, the people have always been wonderfully generous and hospitable, and I can’t think of one where I haven’t encountered the presence of the Holy Spirit. Still, I always feel myself missing home. It’s a…
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Who’s The Idiot in the Rearview Mirror?
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in ReflectionsOh, wait, that would be me. The more we know about ourselves and who God made us to be, the more effective we will be in fulfilling our call and becoming saints. St. Teresa of Avila was a big proponent of striving to make progress in this area. In Interior Castle, she wrote, “Self-knowledge is so…
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The Multiplication of an Hour
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I don’t remember when I first heard about Eucharistic Adoration or even the first time I experienced it. I went to Catholic school for eight years in the 1980s, and it never came up. After going to public high school, I attended many Catholic retreats in college and spent three years very involved at the…