More Thoughts on Resolutions
I was driving to church tonight and a thought came into my head about my previous post.
You may have noted that I didn't make any kind of resolution for eating more healthy or getting in better shape. Why? Well, because that's something I should be doing every day.
This then lead me to remember a story from my days as a youth minister. The Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon (that's its official name), used to sponsor a two-week theology camp for high school juniors and seniors every summer. Camp Emmaus was held every year at the now-defunct Franciscan Renewal Center near Lewis & Clark College in the SW hills of Portland. It focused on theology, leadership and faith-building. The kids had four hours of class each day, along with morning and evening prayer, which they lead, and other activities. I served as an adult leader for one summer. I think I had as much fun as the kids. One of my youth minister colleagues served for several summers and relayed the following story to me after camp one year.
During this particular year, the group from Camp Emmaus was participating in a high ropes course to work on teamwork and leadership skills. This particular course happened to be owned and operated by what we Catholics like to call "Evangelical Christians".
As a Catholic, I freely admit we do not do such a great job of teaching our flock how to defend the faith. There's a lot of "haters" out there who are always trying to pick an argument with us and oftentimes we are on the losing end of such discussions. So, I was not surprised to learn that one of the facilitators asked our teens if they had "accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal Savior". The response they gave was priceless. "Yes, I have. I do it every day. I do it every time I receive communion. Every day I have to say "Yes" to Jesus Christ. It's not just a one-time deal for me." I wish I could have been there for that! Those kids made me proud.
So, what does this have to do with resolutions? Well, for me, it means that I have to make the commitment to good health EVERY day. Not just once a year. I have to make the commitment to eating healthy EVERY day. This is true of all resolutions. It's making a commitment to being your best EVERY day. Sometimes we need a reminder and I think that's what New Year's resolutions are all about. So far, I am doing good about blogging at least once a week! Have a great week everyone. And be sure to say "Yes" to living your life to the fullest every day this week!
You may have noted that I didn't make any kind of resolution for eating more healthy or getting in better shape. Why? Well, because that's something I should be doing every day.
This then lead me to remember a story from my days as a youth minister. The Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon (that's its official name), used to sponsor a two-week theology camp for high school juniors and seniors every summer. Camp Emmaus was held every year at the now-defunct Franciscan Renewal Center near Lewis & Clark College in the SW hills of Portland. It focused on theology, leadership and faith-building. The kids had four hours of class each day, along with morning and evening prayer, which they lead, and other activities. I served as an adult leader for one summer. I think I had as much fun as the kids. One of my youth minister colleagues served for several summers and relayed the following story to me after camp one year.
During this particular year, the group from Camp Emmaus was participating in a high ropes course to work on teamwork and leadership skills. This particular course happened to be owned and operated by what we Catholics like to call "Evangelical Christians".
As a Catholic, I freely admit we do not do such a great job of teaching our flock how to defend the faith. There's a lot of "haters" out there who are always trying to pick an argument with us and oftentimes we are on the losing end of such discussions. So, I was not surprised to learn that one of the facilitators asked our teens if they had "accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal Savior". The response they gave was priceless. "Yes, I have. I do it every day. I do it every time I receive communion. Every day I have to say "Yes" to Jesus Christ. It's not just a one-time deal for me." I wish I could have been there for that! Those kids made me proud.
So, what does this have to do with resolutions? Well, for me, it means that I have to make the commitment to good health EVERY day. Not just once a year. I have to make the commitment to eating healthy EVERY day. This is true of all resolutions. It's making a commitment to being your best EVERY day. Sometimes we need a reminder and I think that's what New Year's resolutions are all about. So far, I am doing good about blogging at least once a week! Have a great week everyone. And be sure to say "Yes" to living your life to the fullest every day this week!