Tag: Mark Joseph

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Are you Ignoring Your Best Friend, Your Greatest Advocate?

What if you had someone in your life, a family member or a friend, who knew you inside and out? I’m talking about someone who knows you so intimately, that they know all of your specific gifts and talents, even your faults and failings. They know what you’re passionate about, what you’re really good at and what you struggle with. They know you so well and the world so well, given their vast experience, that they know exactly what you ought to be doing with your life….what your purpose is, where your greatness lies.

In addition to the above, what if they loved you so much, cared for your well-being so much, that they could care less whether you succeed or fail. They just want to help you get better. And given their unconditional love, they invest in you endlessly, relentlessly, daily, always helping you to be the very best person you could be.

There’s Not a Human Being that Meets that Criteria

I don’t know about you, but there’s not a human being in my life that meets the above criteria. I’m saying that because I don’t have anyone in my life who can do all of that. In fact, I don’t have anyone who fulfills even parts of it. If there were, I’d want to spend as much time with that person as humanly possible.

Guess what…that someone exists for all of us in the Person of Jesus Christ, as given to us by God our Father, Who lives in each and every one of us in the Holy Spirit. Our God, three in one, loves us that much, knows us that well, and is willing to invest in us as much as we’d like Him to.

It is Truer than True

The above is truer than true. Is it true for you? Do you understand Jesus Christ in the above light? Do you know that the Holy Spirit, as your Advocate, lives inside of you, there to help you every day in being the very best you can be?

If you’re like most, you’ve not thought of God in these terms. That’s ok. Assuming that you’re looking for that person in your life (BTW, that person doesn’t exist here on earth…just sayin’), now can be your time. Just like with those on this earth, i.e. spouses, kids, other family, friends, you can’t be in relationship without conversation, without sharing your true thoughts and feelings. With God, that’s called PRAYER.

In other blogs, I’ve talked about the different ways we can pray. I can answer any questions you have if you want to reach out (BTW, I can help, but I certainly don’t have all the answers). The real intent here is to suggest that the ONE PERSON who can be THAT PERSON for all of us, we have in GOD. Begin treating Him as that person, be in relationship with Him, and you’ll be amazed at what your life becomes.

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

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

Mark Joseph

 

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New Years Resolution…The Six Primary Areas of Your Life

One year ago, on January 2, 2019, I wrote a blog titled, “Tired of Not Accomplishing Your New Years’ Resolutions – Follow these Four Steps”. You can find it here. In it, I discussed a goal setting process, suggesting the following categories:

  • Spiritual
  • Intellectual
  • Emotional
  • Physical
  • Financial
  • Professional

This year, I thought I’d suggest what you might want to consider for these categories (if I can be so bold).

Spiritual

There are so many options, like with all of these categories. Still a fan of saying my rote prayers (slowly praying through every word), I’d like to suggest 10-15 minutes a day, where you share your thoughts and feelings with our Lord. Tell Him what’s on your mind and/or heart, the good or bad, opportunities or challenges. Describe the situation and your thoughts on how to address or solve for it. Then sit in silence, allowing God to speak into the situation, speak to your heart. Try it…it works.

Intellectual

Read good books. Watch good shows. Do whatever stimulates you intellectually. My personal preference is faith-based books and movies. There are so many good ones, that feed your heart and your head. In relation to books, I’d suggest reading 15-30 minutes a night. Doing so for years, I can’t begin to quantify how much I’ve learned, how much I’ve grown as a result. I love reading right before I go to sleep. I can set my watch to it. Regardless of the specific topic (assuming it’s healthy and positive), doing the above will stimulate your mind and help you grow.

Emotional

How are your relationships, starting with “you”? How do you feel about yourself? Do you have a positive self-image or are you your own worst enemy? My experience is that the only way we can have a healthy self-love is to understand and internalize the unconditional love of God (check my website and past blogs for more on that).

Are your relationships positive or negative? Can you count on those around you or are they always tearing you down? I strongly believe in the concept of an inner-circle, whose members are only those who have a positive influence on you. Everyone else belongs in your outer-circle.

Physical

It’s all about diet and exercise. What are you putting into your body and how active are you? To be your best and live your longest, as a temple of the Holy Spirit, requires some discipline. That said, it doesn’t have to be torture. My wife and I live a very healthy life style and enjoy life very much at the same time.

Financial

Are you earning enough? Are you saving enough? What about retirement, kids’ education, houses, cars, vacations? I’ve always heard that you ought to pay your “savings account” before paying for anything else. And if you don’t have expertise in this or any of the other areas, solicit advice. Get a mentor. You can’t start planning for your finances too early in your life.

Professional

What are your goals? What are your passions? What are your talents? Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 20 years? Start planning now. There being no reason to reinvent the wheel, get a mentor, someone whose “been there and done that”.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. I strongly believe in and have had success by doing a few things really well. The best way to fail is to try to do too much. So with all of the above, take it slowly and work on it regularly. And take it to prayer. God is on your side. Surrender all to Him and you’ll be amazed by the results.

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

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

Mark Joseph

 

 

 

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Three Ways to Strive, Not Just Survive

Have you ever felt stuck? Like you can’t get any movement? Make any progress? Do you have an interest in how you might change that? How you might excel, thrive?

Before we identify the three ways to thrive as promised in the title of this blog, let’s establish something foundational. Bear with me. All of the following is truer than true:

  • God loves you more than you’ll ever know, no matter what you’ve ever done.
  • He loves you unconditionally and forgives you unconditionally.
  • He is our creator, knowing you better than anyone else can.
  • God made you with special gifts and talents, with a very specific and divine purpose.
  • He, more than anyone, knows what will make you happy and fulfilled, what will provide you with peace and joy.

Add to the above that His message is incredibly compelling, as demonstrated in Scripture, the Sacraments, the Saints, and so many great books that speak to the heart and/or the head.

Question – who in your life, with the above attributes, would you not want to be communicating with on a regular basis? For me, anyone who knows and cares for me that much, and can offer me so much, I want to be talking to as much as possible.

So now, the three ways to thrive, not just survive:

  1. Prayer
  2. Sacraments
  3. Scripture and Faith Based Books

Please stick with me here. Each can change your life….really.

Prayer

Just 10 minutes a day…take whatever is on your mind to our Lord, i.e. challenges, desires, dreams, relationship issues…whatever. Start out by describing to Jesus what it is you want to solve for…

  • Explain the situation, followed by defining your ideas related to it.
  • Identify all that you know or are thinking to Jesus, including any proc and cons.
  • Pose any questions you might have to Him and then in silence, listen for His voice in your heart, His Will for what you might do.

Guess what, the above really works. Whenever I do it, which is quite often, Jesus helps me in figuring out my challenges, desires, dreams, relationship issues, typically bringing to mind something I hadn’t previously thought of.

Interestingly, the secular world tells us how good meditation is, how much it can help to visualize or exercise real forethought for something. My suggestion is the same, while bringing God into it, the One who knows and loves you more than anyone else in your life.

Sacraments

The Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) has become a very important part of my faith journey. Going monthly (sometimes I slip to every 6-8 weeks, although rarely), it is so gratifying to talk to someone confidentially, the Priest who is in Christo (the person of Christ), about the challenges I’m having. Going to the same Priest on a regular basis allows me to discuss with him the progress or challenges I’m having. Then, receiving absolution is this feeling of being cleansed…creating a new beginning, by the Grace of God.

Over a year ago, I began going to Mass daily.  There is something about the simplicity, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. And it’s special to me to receive Jesus, His body, blood, soul, and divinity every day in Holy Communion. My first prayer immediately afterwards is always “come into my heart, mind, body, and soul”. What a great and fortifying way to start each day.

Reading Scripture and Faith Based Books

There’s an expression, “it’s one thing to know the Bible, it’s another to know its Author”. The only way to know God our Creator, Jesus who died on the Cross for our sins, and the Holy Spirit, who dwells within each of us, is to read and pray through Scripture. Yes…some of it is dry, but so much of it is intriguing and inspiring.

The other way to grow in your faith and as a person is to read good faith-based books. There are SO MANY good ones that feed the heart and the head. In addition to mine (I know…self-serving), I list several recommendations in my book, which are listed here.

  • Jason Evert, Saint John Paul the Great, His Five Loves (Ignatius Press, 2014)
  • Miriam James Heidland, SOLT, Loved As I Am: An Invitation to Conversion, Healing, and Freedom through Jesus (Ave Maria Press, 2014)
  • Matthew Kelly, Rhythm of Life: Living Every Day with Passion and Purpose (Matthew Kelly, 1999)
  • Michael Scanlan, Let the Fire Fall (Servant, 1986)
  • Deacon Keith Strohm, Jesus: The Story You Thought You Knew (Our Sunday Visitor, 2017
  • Rev Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life (Zondervan, 2002)
  • Jacques Philippe, Searching for and Maintaining Peace (Alba House, 2002

Or pick another. Reading just 10-15 minutes a day (I’d suggest right before you turn out the lights at night) will be so impactful….it can change your life.

You do these three things and I GUARANTEE that you will thrive, not just survive.

As usual, please feel free to get back to me with your comments, questions, or concerns.

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 [email protected].

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

Mark Joseph