Tag: Joy

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Hollywood Star Who Really Loves Jesus

Situation comedies, sitcoms, are part of our American fabric. Originated in the 1940s, the first US sitcom was Mary Kay and Johnny, in 1947, which told the domestic tales of New York newlyweds. Published in October, 2019 a list of most popular sitcoms, over the last several decades, includes:

  1. The Simpsons
  2. All in the Family
  3. I Love Lucy
  4. 30 Rock
  5. Seinfeld
  6. MASH
  7. Family Guy
  8. The Big Bang Theory
  9. Two and a Half Men
  10. Cheers
  11. South Park
  12. The Cosby Show
  13. Will and Grace
  14. The Mary Tyler Moore Show
  15. Friends
  16. Married with Children
  17. The Beverly Hillbillies
  18. The Andy Griffith Show
  19. Modern Family
  20. That 70s Show
  21. Bewitched
  22. Three’s Company
  23. Family Ties
  24. Leave it to Beaver
  25. Sanford and Son
  26. Happy Days

If you’re like me, you’ve watched many of these over the years, having your favorites, with several probably taking you back to a time in your life…which is part of the impact that sitcoms can have. The other impact they make is their tie to reality, at least to some extent, presented in a funny way. Sitcoms give us a window into our humanity, showing us how ridiculous we can sometimes be, hopefully helping us to have a sense of humor and learn some lessons along the way. And of course, the good ones are entertaining.

In referring to the list above, you probably believe that it doesn’t include one or two you think it should. For me, I can’t believe that I Love Raymond isn’t on it. My wife and I still enjoy the occasional reruns. And we certainly appreciate the show’s female star, Patricia Heaton, not only for her talent, but her profession of faith.

Image by by DoloresFreeman on Fanpop

Heaton tells the story, that having struggled in her career for a long time, she went on a mission trip to an orphanage in Mexico. Upon her return, she’s quoted as saying, “I woke up the next day and I had this deep sense of peace I’d never felt before, and it made me realize that up until that point, my entire identity was in my success or lack of success as an actor. That’s when I realized I needed to give that thing over to God and ask Him what He wanted me to do, not what I wanted to do. I said to him literally, pretty much out loud, ‘I will go back to Mexico or to whatever mission field you want to send me to, but I have a few auditions here in LA so I’m going to keep doing those. If you want me to change course I will do it gladly, but you have to open the door really wide in one direction or another.’ That’s when I started getting acting work”.

She is further quoted as saying, “you can’t rely on those things (I refer to them as the 4Ps…prominence, possessions, people, and pleasure) because they don’t last. And you have to know that the purpose of your life is glorifying God with your life, not glorifying yourself with your career”. It would appear that Patricia gets it.

Heaton was raised in a devout Catholic family. However, her faith became her own when she entered adulthood. Very bold about her relationship with Christ, she apparently declares that “Jesus saves” in both her Twitter and Instagram bios. She’s also a very rare pro-life voice in Hollywood, advocating on behalf of the unborn. Praise God!!!

Screenshot of Everybody Loves Raymond Episode 140: “The Breakup Tape” (Aired: 03/04/02)

“There’s a lot of need in this world. There’s always something you can do to help someone else. You’ll find the Holy Spirit; you’ll find Christ; you’d find God. You’ll find love and mercy and forgiveness when you’re helping the poor. That’s really what we’re called to do here, Patricia told Christianity Today.

Although there are others in Hollywood who we can point to, albeit few, Patricia Heaton is one to certainly cheer about….living and sharing her faith, standing for those in need, including the unborn, and not being ashamed to profess any of it. Thank you, Patricia and God Bless you!!!

Who else can you point to in Hollywood who lives their faith? Please share with me at Mark@MarkJosephMinistries.com, additionally asking any questions or stating any comments or challenges.

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

Mark Joseph

 

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It’s Such Good News, You Have to Share It

There are many things that we discover in life that change our behavior on a go forward basis. A good example for me is my diet. Given the extensive research that my wife has done, in addition to her willingness to shop for and cook organic, quality ingredients, we eat incredibly healthy food, which also tastes very good. My diet today isn’t what it was 20 years ago or 40 years ago. Our diet is different than it was just 5 years ago.

The same is true regarding my exercise. Always an exercise enthusiast, my routine today is different that 30 years ago. I’ve not only enhanced it over time, but adapted it to my age, with more of a concentration on cardio and light weights as opposed to heavy weights.

In both cases above, I’ve made changes in my life for the better, having learned lessons along the way. That said, I’ll occasionally miss a workout. I’ll also rarely stray from my good diet to indulge in an old favorite, i.e. Italian hoagie from my favorite sub shop.

You Won’t Want To Go Back

There’s one place I don’t stray, given the lessons learned and experiences had…that’s my faith. I have a deep faith in and incredibly strong love for Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Since my conversion in March, 2006, I’ve not wavered on that for a second. In fact, there’s no one I know, who once they’ve had their conversion or made the decision, would go back to a life without Jesus Christ. No one.

The point of this blog isn’t to answer the question “why” for the above. For those who regularly read my weekly messages, have been to my website, or read my book, they know that me understanding and internalizing the love of Christ changed everything in my life. It absolutely rocked my world…for the (much) better.

You Can’t Help But Share

Part of having this particular, overwhelmingly positive experience is the desire, the need to share it. Although not exactly the same, we can draw analogies from life. If you see a great movie, read a really good book, or have a very nice experience at a restaurant, you’re very likely to share those things with others. We all do this. It’s human nature. We share the things we like in our lives.

The same is true of our faith. For those of us who have caught the bug (so to speak), who have had that conversion and/or really have internalized the love of Christ, we can’t help but want to share it. The question is how.

How to Share Your Faith

I have a good friend named Dave VanVickle, who is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, an author, national speaker (including the Steubenville Conferences), and the Director of Evangelization at my Parish. Dave just published an article in our weekly Parish bulletin on this subject, where he states that the goal of evangelization is to foster an encounter with Jesus Christ. Dave indicates that we are introducing two people and until the introduction actually occurs, we have not met our goal. He suggests three possible methods to use when engaging in personal evangelization:

  1. Very simply asking someone if you can pray with them is often that moment where Jesus breaks into their life in a meaningful way. It might be awkward, so both have step out in faith that God will work. A great opening for this is when a person presents a specific problem in their life. Instead of saying you will pray for them, why not ask them right then if you can pray with them. Lead them in prayer and ask God to come into the situation.
  2. Suggesting a prayer or scripture to take to their quiet times. When you sense someone is ready to let Jesus in, suggest to them to prayerfully read a specific chapter of the gospels. What’s your favorite?
  3. Possibly the most powerful way is to invite them to Eucharistic adoration. They don’t have to do anything at all. They can be angry, sad, bored and none of it matters because Jesus is there, and all they have to do is be honest with Him.

This is the moment you prepare and pray for. That moment when you feel the Holy Spirit saying, “Now…they are ready for an invitation.” Are you ready to step out in faith?

As always, feel free to contact me with questions, comments, or challenges at Mark@MarkJosephMinistries.com.

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

Mark Joseph

Categories
Weekly Blog

Joy in the Midst of Overwhelming Challenges

Have you ever encountered people who are dealing with things that appear to be incredibly challenging and instead of being overwhelmed, they are joyful? It might be a disaster that they’re facing or the everyday drudgery of life. Regardless they always have smiles on their faces and in their hearts. You look at them and think to yourself, “I want some of that”.

I’ve certainly seen people like this in the U.S., but not nearly to the degree that I did during a recent experience I had in Haiti. I had the privilege of being on a mission trip with Life Teen, the largest Catholic youth ministry organization in the world. For a week, 16 of us from the U.S. lived on Life Teen’s Mission Base, in the Diocese of Anse-a- Veau et Miragoane.

Culture Shock

Having never gone camping in my life, the living conditions were tougher than anything that I had ever endured. Ten men slept in one room, with a concrete floor, and the occasional critter visiting. We slept with nets over us to protect us from mosquitos. We walked to another building to use the restroom, which was more like an outhouse. With no hot water, showers were very cold and very quick. We had electricity from 5-10PM daily, only because the base was fortunate enough to have a generator.

Here’s the thing, compared to how most Haitians live, we/I had nothing to complain about. Typical houses are incredibly small, maybe 2-3 rooms, with no plumbing (so no water supply, no showers, no toilets), no electricity, and no gas.

In Haiti, there is a total lack of infrastructure, the most glaring example of which is that there is no garbage collection. Something we take for granted in the U.S., no one picks up the trash and there’s nowhere to dispose of it, so it’s just everywhere. And I mean everywhere.

Then given that there’s no electricity or gas, everything is cooked using open flame, the fuel of which is Haitian made charcoal. That charcoal creates a smell in the country that you encounter immediately upon exiting the airport and doesn’t depart from you until you leave the country. The odor was so strong that it overpowered any smell of garbage.

The poverty is so dramatic that it is overwhelming. I was literally in shock the first three days I was in Haiti, pondering how we possibly allow our fellow man to live like this. I saw things that I had never seen before, things that I just can’t erase from my eyes.

Simple but Joyfull

So with all that as a backdrop, I’ve never encountered more joy filled people in my life. Everyone, and I mean everyone, had big smiles on their faces and were super, super friendly. In addition, you ought to see how the Haitians worship our Lord.

As most of us have experienced, Churches in the U.S. are rather lethargic, with very few singing. In contrast, not only do the Haitians sing at the top of their lungs, but also dance to worship music. They are both exuberant and very reverent. It is incredible to experience.

In the midst of the extreme, awful poverty that they live in, why do you think the above is the way it is? My guess is twofold:

  • The Haitians don’t have near the distractions that we do. Life is simple and to many of them life is good, even in the midst of what they face daily.
  • The Haitians know the love of the Lord, the peace of Christ, in a way that many of us in the U.S. don’t. As such, they know what’s really important. They have peace and they have joy.

We live in a culture in the U.S. that loves things and uses people. I think we could learn a lesson from the Haitians in that we are called to use things and love people. Maybe then we could experience their joy.

My God Bless you on your journey of Peace, Joy, and Fulfillment!!!

Mark Joseph

 

What do you think? Please share your comments with me at
mark@markjosephministries.com.

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