Tag: Overcome

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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 Mark@MarkJosephMinistries.com.

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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Do You Want to be Your Best….Try 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 from the week, my Dad’s funeral still a blur, 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.

Balance is Critical

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 $1 Million 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?

The Most Important Part of Balance

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 Mark@MarkJosephMinistries.com.

May 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 Mark@MarkJosephMinistries.com.

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

Mark Joseph