It’s an obvious nickname that Elvis acquired because of gyrations that accompanied his performances. When asked how it started, he said: “My manager told me that everybody was hollerin’ and screamin’ whenever I was wigglin’ my legs—the more I did it, the wilder they went.”  For a long time, church leaders have also been hollerin’ […]

Bright and early on Monday morning, December 4, I will co-host a prayer breakfast fundraiser at Saint Charles Borromeo Academy alongside Bishop Johnston, Larry Moore, and our principal, Ann Lachowitzer. The purpose and goal is three-fold: to raise necessary funds to operate our fledgling academy, to introduce and promote Catholic diocesan classical liberal arts education […]

Among the greatest turn-offs that people—especially young people—sense from the Catholic Church is that it is arrogant, gnostic, and self-referential.  Though this may no longer be a true characterization, it is a popular perception that church leaders are more interested in being faithful to the church than to Jesus.  Pope Francis, in his brief pontificate, […]

Growing up watching coaches like Bobby Knight and Woody Hayes, I learned that some athletes are motivated to perform better in their sport by getting yelled at, hit, or publicly shamed.  But that’s not most of us—especially kids.  In the game of life, our chances of being victorious correlate better when our mentors are caring, […]

Kids these days kill me.  They really do. When speaking with high school or college students or those that want to get married—any young person facing transition—I sometimes channel my inner Holden Caulfield (as in this blog), who basically thought that anyone over twenty-two was a phony, a moron, or a pervert.  Though bright, savvy, […]

As another Royals’ season comes to the end and Chiefs’ season begins, and as summer’s heat gives way to autumn’s chill, we are mindful of the seasons of the year in Kansas City: cold, cool, warm, hot, warm, cool, cold…and we are invited to also contemplate the seasons of our life. Here in the Midwest, […]

When I began this blog nine months ago, I invited you to follow along as I was charged with ministering to a dying parish community that wasn’t ready to die.  Saint Charles Borromeo Parish lived its heydays in decades past as one of the most vibrant places in our local diocese—so vibrant that it split […]

Spirituality is the profound belief that we are connected to a higher power and that that power somehow reveals to us that our purpose and meaning are beyond what we can sense physically and mentally. In recent decades, scientists have examined the effects of spirituality on health.  Thus far, indicators reveal that there is a […]

As human beings we are primarily relational, social, beings but I hope that you also welcome and treasure time alone. And though being alone can sometimes be lonely, I hope you realize that, in God, you are never truly alone. The late Dutch psychiatrist, J. H. van den Berg, once stated: “Loneliness is the nucleus […]

It seems that the number one indicator for success in relationships is good communication.  Furthermore, the number one indicator of good communication is problem-solving skills.  And, taking it one step beyond, I believe that those who are the best problem-solvers are those who understand and manage their defense mechanisms or coping skills. Though it might […]