My faith makes me happy

It hasn't felt like Christmas this year. Maybe it's because a Christmas Eve blizzard kept me from seeing most of my family and we barely made it to Mass on Christmas Day. And even Mass was different, the church was nearly empty rather than being stuffed full.Maybe it's because I didn't get an internship I thought I would get and I am thinking about the track I'm on and if that's what God want for me, if I am meant to work with teenagers or if I should continue on and get my advanced degree. Maybe it's because this year more than any other people have been commenting about December not being the actual month of Christ's birth and one friend even rejoicing in a movie because it bashes religion. Most of these comments have not been directed to me (though some were). Most were just facebook status updates and other similar things. I don't know if those people even know how much their  comments bothered me.

Here's the thing: say for one second that I am wrong and there is no God (I'm not saying I am wrong, I still fully believe in God, but let us go with this hypothetical situation). If what all those people who do not believe in God say is correct, when I die, I will just fall asleep and nothing else will happen. I will go into nothingness. So, if God doesn't exist, my faith was for nothing in the sense of life after death. But what did it bring me in this life? Only happiness, a sense of fulfillment, and a purpose to drive me towards the good. It gives me morals and it is the reason I treat people so kindly. I wouldn't be who I am today without my faith. So, if all that happens to me after death is I sleep for eternity, why try and deny me happiness in this one? But, my intelligence exists. I will respect your right to believe or not believe in whatever. Please, respect mine.

What do you think? Why is contemporary Atheism so determined to take away our happiness and make all of us unbelievers?

Since When Has God Required Political Correctness?

I'm not really sure when using "God" and Godself" instead of "He/Him" came into use, but I first heard it when I came to Creighton. My question is when did God fall into our long list of political correctness. God is neither a he or a she, so we must not use pronouns. Yet, Christ Himself taught us to call him Father (see Mt 6:9-13, Lk 11:2-4). Even though I have grown up using the pronoun "He" for God, I have outgrown that idea of God as a big man with a white beard and a robe who sits up in the sky. To me, He is a being that surrounds me, that hears me, though I do identify with Christ more (I guess that is just the human being in me). I don't even really like the term "politically correct." God is not involved in our politics, He transcends them. I don't know how you feel, but I will continue to say "May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of His name, for our good, and the good of all His Church." and not feel guilty, at least not a guilty as I do when I say "man" rather than "human." (Can you tell I am not a fan of our overly pc world?)

What do you think?

another fun friday adventure...

Shopping at Old Navy
Pizza
Cookie-dough ice cream
and
Notting Hill.

Not so shabby, huh?

Not All College Kids Drink...In Fact, Most Don't! (aka random weekend adventures)

So, my friends and I (well, most of them) don't drink. We do some interesting things instead. I thought it would be fun to comment on some of those on here.

Friday, Oct 30, 2009

My friends and I went to Mystery Manor, a haunted house by our school. I was scared and yes, I screamed like a little girl! Then, we went exploring on campus. One of my favorite things to do it climb up the fire escape at the Old Gym and look out over the city. It is so beautiful up there: you can see the city light and the Missouri River.

Saturday, October 21, 2009

We put on our Halloween costumes and went to Arby's. Now I am watching OSU (hopefully) beat Texas. Boring? Maybe. Fun? Yes. Going to remember college? HELL YES!

Creighton Fall Semester 2009

This has been a tough one...I missed home a lot more than I expected to this year. School work was tougher than I expected and I ended up dropping a class. :-( I am now more confused than ever about my major, yet I think I now know where I am headed in life. Besides all of this I feel really blessed at this point. I have family and friends here and back home that really love me. I am blessed enough to even be at Creighton. This school might not have the most majors or be the best in the country, but I am a proud bluejay. This school works to hard to make a difference in the community around it. This is all I really want to do. I want to make a difference at least in one person's life in this world. I am itching to get out there and live my vocation and live my life for God. I don't really know where life is taking me in all of this, but I am putting my trust in God that it will all work out.

It's that time of year

back to school time. It's weird because everyone else I know is getting ready to start school and I haven't even moved yet.
I was really excited to go back just a few days ago, but now as it is only a week away I am reminded that all this awesome time I've spent with my family is going away. Don't get me wrong, I love where I've chosen to go to school, and I love my friends there, and I love being there. The thing that sucks is that I'm so far away from everyone else. I don't even know if it's my friends that I miss. A hand full really want to see me again and we hang out, but the rest just don't seem to care. Why should I put in a great effort if they won't reciprocate? Maybe I just don't get why why don't care....we had so much fun in high school, why not now?
But then I am reminded how blessed I am. I have amazing friends back in Omaha who just can't wait to see me again. It's going to be weird, not being in Gallagher, but I think this year is going to be great.
And as I was reminded the other day...we already have friends, so the year is going to start off better!

The Beginnings of My Very Own Bucket List

(italic = accomplished)

1. go skydiving
2. go scuba diving
3. visit the pope in Rome
4. go on a mission to the third world
5. graduate college
6. get my Ph.D.
7. go on a photography vacation
8. work for the Church
9. learn conversational Czech
10. learn to play the guitar
11. learn to play the piano
12. learn to waltz
13. learn to polka
14. enter the czech royalty pagent
15. go para sailing
16. swim with the sharks
17. go bungee jumping
18. go to Jerusalem
19. visit all 50 U.S. states
20. be a vegetarian for a Lent
21. see Olympic swimming
22. meet the Pope
23. learn CPR
24. take a cooking course
25. learn the: sign of the cross, our father, hail mary in french and latin
26. run a 6 minute mile
27. be complaint free
28. run a 5k
29. go on a silent retreat
30. take up yoga
31. go without tv for a week
32. take my dad to prague and austria
33. throw a fancy dinner party
34. learn how to invest wisely
35. buy a house
36. have a library in my home
37. fall completely, unconditionally, uncontrollably in love with God
38. fall in love
39. work for CHWC
40. be kissed in St. Mark's Square
41. become a youth minister
42. see the pope
43. go on a mission trip
44. go to WYD
45. complete freshman year of college
46. have a job where I have to dress professionally everyday
47. have a job i can do in my pjs
48. read all of St. Paul's letters (cover-to-cover)
49. have a conversation with Matt Maher
50. save all of my change for a year (and donate it to a good cause)
51. learn the Bill of Rights
52. move to a different state
53. work at a summer camp
54. graduate from high school
55. snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef