7 Ways to Explain July 4 to Children

Today is a great day for Americans.  Parades, barbecues and flags all around.  My family will go to the Chatham parade and then have some friends over to stand around the mothership (otherwise known as my grille) for some food and fellowship.

If we're not careful, my wife and I will raise four kids who have no idea about the real meaning of July 4.  They'll simply associate it with the trimmings of the day.

Here are some simple things you can do to teach your kids by means of a holiday like July 4:

• Talk about it.  Ask your kids what they know about it.
• Watch a t.v. show or movie about American history.  This is perfect for after dinner when things are winding down.
• Go to a parade and clap for the soldiers.  These brave men and women deserve more than others- clap for them and point them out to your kids.  
• Explain the symbolism of the American flag.  Here is a great resource.
• Ask one of your kids to put on a powerpoint presentation about the holiday.  I'm not even kidding with this one. My 9 year old has done powerpoints of Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas.  It's my way of teaching him powerpoint and linking tech with a national holiday.
• Watch fireworks.  Come on, everyone likes fireworks!
• Discuss a passage from the Bible about freedom.  Romans 6:22 is a good start, "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."

How are you not only celebrating July 4 but teaching your kids about its meaning?

The Meaning of Pentecost

Pentecost is often considered to be the birthday of the Christian church.  I gave the following presentation to a group of Missionary Cenacle Family members on May 18, 2013 at the Shrine of St. Joseph in Stirling, NJ.

Pentecost and the Missionary Cenacle 

5 Things to Avoid First Thing in the Morning

The morning is a critical time of day.  You're either spent or totally focused.  You love it or loathe it.  Wherever you are in the spectrum, we can all agree that mornings are important.  

For productivity-minded folks, the morning hours are vital to getting the most out of a day.

Prayer is the key of the morning and the bolt of the evening. -Gandhi

So how should you begin?  That's a loaded question for sure.  To help in the process, we might want to consider listing a few actions that are not helpful at the start of your day.  These include:

1. Shopping- shopping is necessary but try and avoid it first thing in the morning.  Shopping moves our hearts towards objects rather than towards the day ahead of us and the people we serve.  
2. Negative reading- whatever is "negative" in your book, try and avoid it.  This could include dark literature or even current events.
3. News- let's face it: the news can be depressing.  Bad stories sell papers but that doesn't mean that you have to start your day with it.
4. Email- I think that email needs to be addressed early in the day but not necessarily first thing.  Email sucks you in to work rather than keeping your mind clear and focused on getting grounded to begin your day.
5. Too much talking- journaling is very useful as a day starter but don't do all of the talking.  Make sure to allow some time to just sit and listen: to God, nature, the stirrings inside of your own heart.

What types of activities do you avoid at the start of your day?

Photo courtesy of KS 

What a Smartphone Taught me About Faith

Sometimes you own things and sometimes they own you.

I was at a mini retreat on Sunday and a friend, Chip, was constantly checking his iPhone.  I figured that his lovely wife, Aida, would have kicked him under the table but she apparently has gotten used to his 24/7 online status. Either that or he's setting up a new gadget to his liking.

Having recently switched from an iPhone to an Android smartphone, I've been deep in that same mode.  Tweaking, checking and getting the new phone do what I want it to do... I've gotten a kick or two from my wife along the way.

I switched away from an iPhone after having jailbroken my previous iPhone 5 (translation: "jailbreak" = a geeky move you can do on your iPhone to allow for cool features).  Wanting more flexibility and personalization, Android was the perfect option. Everything I loved about a jailbroken iPhone, I can now do on my Google Nexus 4 and more.  It took me a while to give myself permission to switch.  After all, aren't all of the cool kids using iPhones?

Then I read about another iPhone guru who switched to Android.   If he could do it, I could too.

Faith is sort of like this as well.  It's got to be your own.  If you were to take an All Star Saints photo of this century, it would probably include Mother Theresa, Padre Pio and Maximilian Kolbe.  We have tons to learn from them and we ought to familiarize ourselves with their lifestyle and Gospel message.  All three were amazing.

But at the end of the day, your faith is yours and not Mother Theresa's.  After all, you can do things that she could not.  God has special plans for you that He did not apply to Maximilian Kolbe, amazing as that may sound.  

So when it all comes down to it, whether you are an iPhone or an Android user, make it your own.  Just like your faith and walk with God.  Get into it.  Enjoy the ride because no other person has the exact same experience.

Challenge: Pray today for the grace of knowing how exactly your relationship with God is different from that of others.

Photo courtesy of FDP

Mini Review: Something More: The Professional's Pursuit of a Meaningful Life By Randy Hain

Author Randy Hain has become the guru of faith-based advice for professionals.  He is humble, forward thinking and to the point.  With a successful career and a dynamic faith, his words ring true over and over again.

His first two books "The Catholic Briefcase: Tools for Integrating Faith and Work”, was released in late November 2011 by Liguori Publications. His second book, “Along the Way: Lessons for an Authentic Journey of Faith” was released a year later by Liguori Publications and formed the second hit in Randy's portfolio.

Something More: the Professional's Pusuit of a Meaningful Life is consistent with his first two books but also creates an avenue for greater dialogue.  I spoke with Randy a few weeks ago and he told me that he wanted Something More to be slightly more ecumenical than his first two works.  There's plenty of references to Randy's Catholic faith but it's not preachy by any means.  This book would be useful to a person with a value system even if they weren't die-in-the wool Christians.

Highlights
Randy's style is very conversational and not "in your face" when it comes to faith references.  The book responds to so many professionals who find themselves staring in the mirror and wondering if there's more to life than getting a paycheck and a corner office.  Think about it- have you ever felt like your career is more of a rat race than a journey with purpose?

Something More addresses everything from one's motivations in the workplace to the need to be an authentic leader.  Randy challenges the contemporary notions of success and invites the reader to have courage when it comes to putting one's family first.  

What makes this book unique is its delivery.  Randy is the architect, providing an outline that encompasses just about every challenge that a working pro will face in his adult life.  He then compliments his own insights with dozens of interviews from working professionals in every chapter. Their perspective is fantastic, giving the reader a true "boots on the ground" application of the higher points that Randy provides.

Memorable Quote
"I needed to lead an integrated life where I could be the same person all the time and put his will first in every aspect of my life."

I loved this book and devoured it in a day.  It's a great resource to pass along to someone who is trying to make a difference in their work but feels pulled in every direction imaginable.  You can pick up a copy of Randy's excellent book here.

Randy was kind enough to provide me with review copy of the book.  Thanks Randy and keep up the good work!