Tag: about me

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Patrick Mahomes is a Great Quarterback (and a Committed Christian)

Patrick Mahomes is a tremendously talented quarterback and a strong Christian as well. Please indulge me for a second as I draw some comparisons and make a few observations.

When I turned my book manuscript into my editor at Our Sunday Visitor, it contained 59,000 words. She returned it to me with 26,000 words, indicating that I needed to figure out a better way to state an additional 12,000-14,000 words. It was a humbling experience.

Part of what she cut out was my reference to the wildly successful NFL quarterbacks that are from the Pittsburgh area. The list includes:

  • George Blanda
  • Johnny Unitas
  • Joe Namath
  • Joe Montana
  • Dan Marino
  • Jim Kelly

All six of the above are in the NFL Hall of Fame. Add to the list Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger, current and soon-to-be Hall of Famers, together responsible for six Pittsburgh Steeler Super Bowl championships.

Image by Jasmine Goldband from Trib Total Media

My point in the book was going to be that all of these quarterbacks consistently exuded a confidence, a comfort level, irrespective of their performance on a play by play basis. Regardless of whether they may have thrown a bad pass or an interception or two, or whether they were down by three touchdowns, they’d have no hesitation or lack of confidence. They’d throw the next ball, then the next ball, followed by the next ball, often times winning the game.

Not knowing where any of these great quarterbacks were or are on their faith journeys, I drew the comparison to those who truly understand the love of Christ, surrendering all to Him, understanding in humility that it’s not us, but Him working through us…not caring what others think, using our God given gifts, with Holy Spirit boldness, being all that God calls us to be.
There’s a freedom in the surrender, in the humility. Relying on the Lord, it takes the pressure off. It’s where greatness lies.

Image by David Eulitt from Getty Images

Patrick Mahomes plays as described above from both perspectives. The Kansas City Chiefs came from behind in their final three games of the season, both playoff games and the Super Bowl. As you might imagine, Patrick was instrumental in each victory. In the Super Bowl, he had thrown 2 interceptions before rallying the team to victory and being named the MVP.

Obviously incredibly skilled, evidence of the second point above is well documented. Mahomes has said his faith is a big part of his life and keeps him grounded. Becoming committed to his Christian walk in middle school, Patrick is quoted as saying to ESPN, “My faith has always been a big part of what I do… I’ve grown up in church and faith really helps you know why you’re playing the game, and who you’re doing it for”.

In many interviews, he credits God, especially related to awards he receives or milestones he achieves. I saw an interview where Patrick talked about his weekly faith routine, namely never missing Weekly Bible Study or Team Chapel on Saturday nights. He also spoke about his pregame routine of praying while walking the field.

Patrick is obviously very talented and well prepared for each game. He’s incredibly exciting to watch play the game he loves, now a Super Bowl MVP and Champion. What’s very nice to know is what a good and humble guy he is, so committed to his Christian faith. Praise God!!!

What other public figures do you know who wear their faith on their sleeve? Feel free to shoot me a note on that or any other questions, challenges, or comments at [email protected].

God Bless you on your Path to Peace, Joy, and Fulfillment!!!

Mark Joseph

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Weekly Blog

Pressures of Being Too Busy

Have you ever been so busy that your head is spinning? Does your task list keep growing…as soon as you accomplish one thing, two more are added? Do you work lots of hours and can’t seem to get ahead? Is your work/life balance out of wack? Do you feel stressed? Are you overwhelmed? 

Join the club. Many people (probably most people) feel the same way much of the time. In fact, it’s the way I currently feel. I’ve recently had the privilege of being appointed to a new position at Franciscan University of Steubenville. As such, my weekly meeting schedule has practically doubled overnight. In working to combine several departments, we’re going through a strategic planning process while launching an additional major initiative. Add to that all the work I’ve historically been doing, none of which has gone away.

Sharing the above with a friend recently, he said, “boy…you sound like you’re overwhelmed”. He then sarcastically recommended that I read my own book, Overwhelming Pursuit: Stop Chasing Your Life and Live.

 

Why I’m Not Overwhelmed

In all deference to my friend, I’m not overwhelmed, although the last couple weeks have required many, many additional hours of my time. As opposed to my pre-conversion days, when I was a serious workaholic, I’m not overwhelmed for three specific reasons.

  1. Understanding my “Why” – It’s important to understand your “why”, that is why you’re doing what you’re doing. For the old me, it was all about what I refer to as the 4 Ps, prominence, possessions, pleasure, and people. I had this God sized hole in the center of my chest that I was trying to fill with all of these things that weren’t possibly going to make me happy…but I was pursuing them because of the world’s influence. My “who” was my “do”. My role was my identity.

Today those things mean much, much less to me. My “why”, my purpose is to serve our Lord and serve others, which are the things that bring me peace, joy, and fulfillment. You don’t have to be in ministry to do these things. You do need to understand your “why”

  1. Commitment to Peace over Pace – Back in the day, the pace always outstripped the peace. My work/life balance was always out of wack, with me working 60+ hours per week. Although exhausted by it, I thrived on the pace, topic for another blog. I now like to say, it’s all about the peace, not the pace.

Matthew Kelly, one of my favorite Catholic authors and speakers, likes to say, “you can only say “no” when you have a stronger “yes”. I have a strong “yes”, which includes being committed to peace in my life, not the incredibly high pace I used to live.

  1. Prayer – there is a peace to prayer. It comes with my rote prayers, which I say very slowly, hanging on every word. It also comes in meditating on Scripture. But mostly it comes in what Matthew Kelly calls the “classroom of silence”, where I share my thoughts, feelings, dreams, and challenges with our Lord, then just listen for His voice.

So while at the moment I have a lot on my plate, I know it will pass. And because of my relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ, I’m not overwhelmed. He’s got the wheel. He’s in control. I’m just along for the ride.

As always, feel free to contact me with questions or comments at [email protected].

May God Bless you on your Path to Peace, Joy, and Fulfillment!!!!

Mark Joseph

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Weekly Blog

Made for Greatness

Did You Know that You Were Made for Greatness?

Most of us have no clue as to the above. Many of us strive for greatness (or at least being very good at the things we do), but that doesn’t mean that we know that we are made for it, specifically designed by God to achieve it.

The same God who made us for greatness wants nothing more than to see us live lives of peace, joy, and fulfillment.

Assuming the above to be true, why do so few of us know these things, let alone live lives that reflect them?

I Didn’t Know

I didn’t know any of the above for most of my life. Then not unlike many others, I had some things happen that led me to the Lord. Since then, I’ve learned things that I never knew before, that I never thought possible before.

There was a time that I was overwhelmed with life. I was pursuing what I thought would make me happy, i.e. possessions, prominence, and pleasure. None of it worked. Back then, it was all about the pace. Now, it’s all about the peace, joy, and fulfillment God wants for all of us.

Gratified for the journey and convicted by what God has taught me, I feel called to share the lessons I’ve learned with as many people as possible. As such, I’ve written a book, titled, “Overwhelming Pursuit: Stop Chasing Your Life and Live”, which will be published in September, 2018, by Our Sunday Visitor. I’ve launched MarkJosephMinistires.com. I am now blogging and continue to do the public speaking I’ve done for a while.

Why I’m So Convicted

A major part of my conviction is in what’s not being said, at least not frequently enough or specifically enough. To start, God loves all of us more than we’ll ever know, no matter what we’ve ever done. In addition, the following is abundantly true:

  • God made you with unique gifts
  • He doesn’t make mistakes; doesn’t make junk
  • You are a 10 on a scale of 1-10
  • God has blessed you with a specific purpose
  • He wants you to live a life of peace, joy, and fulfillment
  • God made you for GREATNESS

It’s Simple, But Not Easy

For me to truly grasp all of this, it didn’t happen overnight. Although simple, it’s not easy. That said, it’s very possible. By the grace of God, I’ve identified the process to get there. God showed me the way. I did it and so can you.

Join Me On This Journey

I invite you to be on this journey with me. Although you may not agree with everything I say, what I have to offer will cause you to think, and hopefully to grow. And after a period of time, if you don’t think it makes sense for you, you can “opt out”.

As with all my future blogs, I invite you to comment to me via email at [email protected].

May God Bless you on your journey to Peace, Joy, and Fulfillment!!!

Mark Joseph

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