Tag: Challenges

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Come on Man/Woman…Enough is Enough

I don’t know about you, but I am disgusted by what’s going on in our country. With the exception of how politicized it has become, I’m not even talking about the pandemic. I heard a report today that the riots, that continue in many of our cities, in just May and June cost us $2 billion. With it being mid-September, what’s the modified price tag (dollars), in addition to the loss and injury to life, loss of businesses and livelihoods, the destruction of property, and theft, especially in our poorest communities.

I watch more news than is good for me…because I just saw a report about abuse of our elderly. What happens to a society where the sanctity of life means nothing, a society that has killed 10s of millions of unborn babies over the last several decades. It’s the same society where murder rates have increased so dramatically recently, disproportionately in our inner cities. Rarely discussed, rates of suicides, addictions, and overdoses continue to climb. And the use of pornography is overwhelming, including by our kids at younger and younger ages.

Add to the above a stark example of depravity in our society, a pornographic movie now on Netflix, called “Cuties”. It’s beyond the pale. It’s pure pedophilia. It’s the exploitation of 11-year old girls. You can’t possibly watch it and believe anything different. And yet Netflix not only continues to broadcast it, but defends it.

There’s a phrase that rings so true and that is, “the silence is deafening”. It is astonishing the number of people, especially those with a platform, who have not spoken out about “Cuties” or any of the other things identified above. Simply astonishing. Very sad.

Previously a big fan of the NFL, I used to watch ESPN’s Sunday morning show, with Chris Berman, Tom Jackson, Mike Ditka, Cris Carter, Keyshawn Johnson, and others. Each Sunday, they had a segment, where each commentator called out strange or egregious behavior with the phrase “come on man”. It was funny stuff.

In praying through this week’s blog, it’s the phrase that kept coming to mind. With the craziness that’s going on in our world…come on man (and woman)….enough is enough!!!

Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels

What Can We Do?

What can we do? My wife and I were discussing the other night the fact that we feel that we need to do something. Just sitting quietly makes us feel helpless. What can we do? I’d suggest a few things:

  1. Pray – our country needs prayer. We are broken. So many people are searching. So many people, as exemplified by their actions, can’t possibly know the love of Jesus Christ. It literally just occurred to me last week, that I need to pray for the rioters. We all need to pray. In Matthew 5:44, Jesus tells us, “but I say to you: love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. And pray for those who persecute and slander you”. We need to pray for those who are being hurt, those inflicting the pain, and for ourselves.
  2. Care for Others– people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. We need to love others. We need to care for others. As part of the Great Commandments, Jesus told us in Matthew 22:39, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself”. Our world desperately needs more love and it begins with each of us individually. How are we caring for those closest to us? How we live inside our homes dictates how we live, how we treat others, outside our homes. We need to love one another, those in our inner circle and those we meet for the first time.
  3. Charitably Speak the Truth – there is far too much misinformation in today’s world. Truth matters. Truth is important. That said, truth needs to be delivered charitably. As stated in #2 above, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. We need to love one another and part of that love is sharing the truth. We hear about the division in families over tough topics, i.e. politics. I’d argue that discussing tough issues is important and needs to take place…charitably.

So in closing, come on man/woman….enough is enough!!! Let’s do something about what’s going on in our world. Numbers 1, 2, and 3 above are a good start.

As always, please feel free to contact me at [email protected] with questions, comments, concerns, or challenges. Happy to pray for you as well.

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

Mark Joseph

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Weekly Blog

Ministry Update: How Passion Feeds Activity

Of late, many have asked what’s going on with the ministry. Following is an update, indicative of how passion feeds so much activity.

You are one of several thousand on our email list. Our open rate, week after week, is above average. As such, we want to personally thank you for your participation in our ministry. I say “we” instead of “I” because it takes more than me to do this. Mary Kate (MK) Monin is my editor, videographer, and creative designer. In other words, MK makes our stuff look really good. Cyndi, my wife, is not only my best friend and biggest supporter, but closest adviser. I’m always bouncing ideas off of her, most often (should always in hindsight) heeding her advice. So, thank you, thank you, thank you…to them and you!!!

Starting on April 25, 2018, the Feast Day of St. Mark the Evangelist, we send out a blog every Wednesday, with the total to date being approximately 120. We literally have never missed a Wednesday, with the entire history available on our website. Although topics are varied, typically what is on my heart and mind for that week, often related to current events, they all tie back to the faith and our loving God.

Although I’m not certain of the exact timing, we started putting out videos (vlogs) every Friday. We’re also active on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

We published a FREE 14-week program, beginning May 6th and ending August 5th. The response we received was overwhelmingly positive. Hope you got a lot out of it…you can revisit any of the lessons through our website link above.

We’ve continued to update the website as things have developed, including our Speaking Page. As you might imagine, I’ve not done many events lately, with my last being a Parish Mission during Lent, just prior to COVID. With several having to be canceled, the next thing on the calendar is a Men’s Retreat in late October. We’ll see.

The thing we’re working on now is an online course we are hoping to launch this coming January. We are playing with the title of…

“Going from Overwhelmed to Fulfilled: God’s Master Plan (and Mark’s lived experience) on how to Eliminate the Stress from Your Life, and experience Peace, Joy, and Purpose”

We’re investing greatly in the project…hopefully it will be well received. Priced very moderately, we’ll have a hardship clause so that those who can’t afford it, can still enjoy the benefits.

Love to hear your thoughts on the title and idea of a course.

Although I have a full-time job, I love spending time on Mark Joseph Ministries. In fact, I’m passionate about it. The reason is three-fold:

  1. My life has been absolutely transformed in understanding the unconditional love and forgiveness of God. As such, I feel like God gave me a gift.
  2. I don’t hear the lessons I’ve learned (my message) delivered anywhere, definitely not consistently, inside or outside the Church
  3. Given how dramatically my life has changed, I am convicted to share the message with as many as possible…which includes YOU!!!

I sincerely hope that you and your family are doing well, especially with the pressures of COVID-19 and the current division within our country. I remind myself regularly…God is GREAT; He’ll get us through this too.

As always, I’m very interested in your thoughts, comments, questions, or concerns. Please feel free to email me at [email protected]. Even reach out with a problem or challenge you’re having. Always happy to try to help!!!

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

Mark Joseph

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Weekly Blog

Satan Must Be Pleased

Given what’s occurring in our country, I thought I’d write about two things this week that have been on my heart:

  • Destructive nature of Division
  • Importance of Unity

Regarding the first point, Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:25 “Every kingdom divided against itself will become desolate. And every city or house divided against itself will not stand”,

Abraham Lincoln made a very similar point, on June 16, 1858. When running for the US Senate and addressing the issue of slavery, Lincoln said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand” (recognized by many as related to Jesus’ message in the Gospels).

Our country is about as divided as it can be. Most can’t believe what is happening, whether in our streets, in our government, within our Churches, or our families. We as a nation are divided and individuals are divided.

Unless things change dramatically, it’s difficult to see how we’re going to recover from this moment in history. The words of both Jesus and Abraham Lincoln would appear to ring true.
I’m sure our country’s adversaries are enjoying what’s happening. So is Satan, who must be very pleased, with one of his primary strategies being division, in addition to deception, diversion, discouragement.

Photo by Brett Sayles from Pexels

Importance of Unity

The older I get, the more I point to Scripture and the Church for the answers to life. Related to unity (and all other things), examples are numerous:

  • Jesus prayed for our unity prior to Him being arrested and crucified, in John 17:20-21, “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,Anchor so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us”.
  • The Catechism of the Catholic Church states in paragraph 817, “Where there are sins, there are also divisions…where there is virtue, however, there also are harmony and unity, from which arise the one heart and one soul of all believers”.
  • Colossians 3:12-14, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do, and over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection”.
  • 1 Corinthians 3:4-8, Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

Tying the above together, Jesus prayed for our unity, knowing its importance. Sin (we need to resolve to be better) creates division, whereas virtue (we need to resolve to be better) causes harmony and unity. We need to forgive others with compassion and kindness. Lastly, we need to love, as characterized above.

Given what’s transpiring in our country, I continue to discern what God is calling me to do. Regardless of where my prayer takes me, from the above I think it’s obvious that I need to first love those around me and bring unity wherever I can, balanced by the truth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Please join me in praying for our country!!!

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

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

Mark Joseph

P.S. Cling to the Cross….our only source of TRUE PEACE!!!

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Weekly Blog

Exhausted…You Need Some Balance

Have you ever had a couple days that have wiped you out? It could be the length of the days you’ve worked or the gravity of the issues. Maybe every Friday you feel that way….after a long week.

Leaving my office 6PMish this past Friday, I called my wife, who asked what I wanted to do that evening. Exhausted I said, “not a lot”. Cyndi said, “perfect, I’ll make us a pizza, we can watch a movie, and go to bed early”. Now Saturday morning, when I’m drafting this, it was nice to get to bed early and get a very good night of sleep. I feel rested and ready to go.

We need our rest. We can’t do without it. In fact, based on research that my wife has done, sleep is more important to our wellbeing than exercise. That’s not to say that exercise isn’t important. It is to say that you’re not doing yourself any favors by being on the elliptical everyday if you’re only sleeping 4-6 hours a night.

Photo by Marcus Aurelius from Pexels

We Need Balance in Our Lives

Just like we need our rest, we need to balance our lives in other ways. Categories include:

  • Physical
  • Emotional
  • Intellectual
  • Spiritual

What we’ve discussed above is part of the physical. Exercise is important, even if less so than sleep. So is eating and drinking a good diet. I’ve heard it said…you wouldn’t feed a $1mm race horse food from a fast food restaurant, yet what is it we put into our bodies?

Speaking to the emotional, to me there are two pieces:

  1. How you feel about yourself – do you have a healthy view of self, understanding “who” (not your “do”) you are as a child of God? Do you know your God given gifts, and what your purpose is? Do you have a life of peace, joy, and fulfillment?
  2. What do your personal relationships look like? Are they positive or negative? Do they feed you or tear you down?

Whether spiritual or emotional, it often starts in the heart. And the heart leads to the head, the intellectual. I’ve heard it said that you can judge the character of a person by the books he or she reads and the people they associate with.

  • What are the things that you read, watch on TV, or on your phone, including social media?
  • Who do you associate with?
  • Who’s in your inner circle (a subject covered in my book)?

Are the above making you a better version of yourself?

Last (it should be first in our lives) is the spiritual, which is so vitally important because it grounds us in who we are, each of us loved unconditionally and put on this earth for greatness. Through prayer, we connect with our Lord, Who helps us discern the right path, showing us the way to peace, joy, and fulfillment.

Balance is so important in our lives. Maybe you’ve heard the phrase, “everything in moderation”. I’d agree with that as long as they’re the right things. Take care of yourself physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually and you’ll have a great life…the kind of life our Lord designed for you.

As always, feel free to contact me with comments, questions, or challenges that you may have at [email protected].

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

Mark Joseph
need our rest. We can’t do without it. In fact, based on research that my wife has done, sleep is more important to our wellbeing than exercise. That’s not to say that exercise isn’t important. It is to say that you’re not doing yourself any favors by being on the elliptical everyday if you’re only sleeping 4-6 hours a night.

Just like we need our rest, we need to balance our lives in other ways. Categories include:

  • Physical
  • Emotional
  • Intellectual
  • Spiritual

What we’ve discussed above is part of the physical. Exercise is important, even if less so than sleep. So is eating and drinking a good diet. In one of Matthew Kelly’s books, he points to the fact that you wouldn’t feed a $1mm race horse food from McDonald’s, yet what is it we put into our bodies?

Speaking to the emotional, to me there are two pieces:

  1. How we feel about ourselves – do you have a healthy view of self, understanding “who” (not your “do”) you are, your God given gifts, and what your purpose is? Do you have a life of peace, joy, and fulfillment?
  2. What do your personal relationships look like? Are they positive or negative? Do they feed you or tear you down?

Whether spiritual or emotional, it often starts in the heart. And the heart leads to the head, the intellectual. I’ve heard it said that you can judge the character of people by the books they read and the people the associate with.

  • Who do you associate with?
  • Who’s in your inner circle (a subject covered in my book)?
  • What are the things that you read or watch on TV or on your phone, including social media?

Are the above making you a better version of yourself?

Last (should be first in our lives) is the spiritual, which is so vitally important because it grounds us in who we are as a beloved child of God, each of us loved unconditionally and put on this earth for greatness. And through prayer, we connect with our Lord, Who helps us discern the right path, showing us the way to peace, joy, and fulfillment.

It being Mental Health Month, I wanted to speak to how balance is so important in our lives. Maybe you’ve heard the phrase, “everything in moderation”. I’d agree with that as long as they’re the right things. Take care of yourself physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually and you’ll have a great life…the kind of life our Lord designed for you.

As always, feel free to contact me with comments, questions, or challenges that you may have at [email protected].

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

Mark Joseph