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Thursday, November 17, 2016

Fr. Mike Schmitz - The Hour That Will Change Your Life

John 3:16

A little boy was selling newspapers on the corner, 
the people were in and out of the cold. 
    
The little boy was so cold that he wasn't trying to sell
many papers. 
    
He walked up to a policeman and said, 
"Mister, you wouldn't happen to know where a poor boy could
find a warm place to sleep tonight would you?
    
You see, I sleep in a box up around the corner there and 
down the alley and its awful cold in there for tonight. 
    
"Sure would be nice to have a warm place to stay." 
    
The policeman looked down at the little boy and said, "You 
go down the street to that big white house and you knock 
on the door. When they come out the door you just say 
John 3:16 and they will let you in." 
    
So he did. He walked up the steps and knocked on the 
door, and a lady answered. He looked up and said, 
"John 3:16." The lady said, "Come on in, Son." 
    
She took him in and she sat him down in a split bottom 
rocker in front of a great big old fireplace, and she went 
off. The boy sat there for a while and thought to himself: 
John 3:16... I don't understand it, but it sure makes 
a cold boy warm. 
    
Later she came back and asked him "Are you hungry?" 
He said, "Well, just a little. I haven't eaten in a couple of 
days, and I guess I could stand a little bit of food," 
    
The lady took him in the kitchen and sat him down to a table 
full of wonderful food. He ate and ate until he couldn't eat 
any more. Then he thought to himself: 
John 3:16... Boy, I sure don't understand it but it sure
makes a hungry boy full. 
    
She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge bathtub 
filled with warm water, and he sat there and soaked for a 
while. As he soaked, he thought to himself: John 3:16 ... 
I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy 
clean. You know, I've not had a bath, a real bath, in my 
whole life. The only bath I ever had was when I stood in 
front of that big old fire hydrant as they flushed it out.
The lady came in and got him. She took him to a room, 
tucked him into a big old feather bed, pulled the covers 
up around his neck, kissed him goodnight and turned out 
the lights. As he lay in the darkness and looked out the 
window at the snow coming down on that cold night, 
he thought to himself: John 3:16 ... I don't understand it but 
it sure makes a tired boy rest. 
    
The next morning the lady came back up and took him 
down again to that same big table full of food. After he 
ate, she took him back to that same big old split bottom 
rocker in front of the fireplace and 
picked up a big old Bible. 
    
She sat down in front of him and looked into his young face. 
"Do you understand John 3:16?" she asked gently. He 
replied, "No, Ma'am, I don't. The first time I ever heard it 
was last night when the policeman told me to use it,"
She opened the Bible to John 3:16 and began to explain 
to him about Jesus. Right there, in front of that big old fireplace,
he gave his heart and life to Jesus. He sat there and thought: 
John 3:16 . don't understand it, but it sure makes a lost boy feel safe. 
    
You know, I have to confess I don't understand it either, 
how God was willing to send His Son to die for me, and how 
Jesus would agree to do such a thing. I don't understand 
the agony of the Father and every angel in heaven as 
they watched Jesus suffer and die. I don't understand the intense 
love for ME that kept Jesus on the cross till the end.
I don't understand it, but it sure does make life worth living. 
    
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only 
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should 
not perish, but have everlasting life. 
    

Friday, March 18, 2016

Website Launch



Confused about the Catholic Church? Got questions? Come for simple answers.


Inspiration is a beautiful thing. It helps move the barriers that prevent us from an EXTRAORDINARY life. One of my most recent inspirations was to create a new website www.LostAndConfusedCatholic.com. The purpose of this site is to share the resources that I've found helpful in my faith journey.

In 2010 I had many questions about the Catholic faith. With a head full of questions I did what most people would do, I Googled it. I searched terms like: "The Case for the Catholic Church" and "Is the Catholic Church wrong?" Instead of finding favorable sites, I found sites that were aimed at bashing the church and I found myself lost and confused.

Even though I didn't find the answers on the internet I continued to seek and to make a long story short I was eventually confirmed on April 23, 2011. I have now been a Catholic for about five years and every day I fall deeply in love with the church.

Although I made the commitment to the church, I still had many questions. With a little more insight of the faith and learning how to better maneuver web searches I found some great resources. Some answers I found were way over my head and some of them were downright simple.

I am a simple man and I like simple answers so this website was created to bring together stories and videos of simple answers to the complex questions of the Catholic faith.

I believe it will be beneficial to those craddle Catholics who have just been going through the motions. I believe it will be helpful to our non-Catholic brothers and sisters who have mixed emotions of the Catholic faith. And I believe it will assist in bridging the gap between faith communities so that we as Christians can focus on the most important thing, to "love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind..." and to "love your neighbor as yourself." (Matt 22:37-39)


To a faith beyond ordinary!
Orlando Javien Jr., The Man of Many Hats