Stairways

I was recently doing some work around our back deck and noticed that the stairs needed repair. The one stairway needs minor work but the second set was structurally damaged and needed to be replaced which meant that I could correct a design flaw in the original stairway. A simple project - one that many do-it-yourself people would not shy away from. Building a stairway is not a simple task - so I have learned. After doing the proper research - I was able to decide on how I should proceed. The hardest part - making the stairway stringers - was easily solved when I discovered that they were available pre-cut and matching my exact dimensions!  The rest fell into place - buying the lumber - putting in some necessary supports - and voila - a new stairway.

When you are working on your relationship with God - you are building your stairway to heaven. Luckily - when building that stairway you do not have to worry about creating any risers - you do not need a list of lumber - and there is no working in one hundred degree temperatures. As you develop your spiritual life - you add another stair onto your stairway to heaven. Getting to understand your relationship with Jesus - accepting Him as your Lord and Savior - all adds stairs.  Each spiritual step brings you closer and closer to your heavenly home. Every day Jesus stands at the top of the stairway calling your name - it is up to you how quickly you add steps and how close you draw nearer to God. Prayer is the tool - faith is the glue - start your stairway today!


Deacon Dale 

Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost was written by English poet John Milton. Originally it was published in ten books with over ten thousand individual lines of verse. The poem is about the Fall of Man - the temptation of Adam and Eve and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. When people think that they possess everything that they wanted out of life and then lose it - they too feel like they have lost their paradise. Upon closer look - often what looked like paradise - only existed in their mind and not in reality. We all know the saying that love is blind - and that may apply to anything that we love - so much that we are blinded to the reality of lack of perfection. When the "scales fall from our eyes" and we see what really exists - disappointment settles in and we become unhappy to learn that the paradise we thought we had - never existed at all. 

Jesus never promised us a paradise - a perfect world to live in - when He spoke of paradise it was only a promise of what laid ahead - in heaven. He told us that we would experience conflict in this life - that the perfect life was only to be attained in the future with His heavenly Father. Although many people may feel they have found perfection in this life - what is yet to come cannot be comprehended and will be much better than anyone has in their present life. Jesus promised - we trust and belive that one day paradise will be found.

Deacon Dale 

Independence Day..

Independence Day - also known as as the Fourth of July is very special to Americans. If you have studied American history - then you know what an ordeal it was for the original settlers to organize and then break away from the control of the British Empire.  The legal separation of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain actually occurred on July 2, 1776. The Declaration of Independence was officially approved and signed on July 4th. The significance of the signing of that document is so important that it is celebrated annually - to remind us of how precious liberty really is. One of the hallmarks of being American is the liberty and freedom that is associated with the word American.

When a person makes the decision to become a Christian their entire life changes. They do not have to get an act approved by congress and rarely is any official document needed to be signed.  The freedom given them by being baptized and accepted into the Christian Church grants them specific rights - liberty and freedom from Satan and sin. Becoming Christian opens doors - opportunities for spiritual growth are numerous and if the decision involved becoming Roman Catholic - they receive the greatest gift the Catholic Church can provide - Holy Eucharist! Another hallmark of being an American is the freedom to worship as we chose. On this day - we praise God that we enjoy that freedom!

Deacon Dale 

Doubting Thomas

I have a friend Tom - who was discussing my blog the other day. He was trying to figure out if I wrote a new blog each day or if I did a bunch all at one time. I think - in a nice way - he was trying to figure out if these are my original thoughts or if I have some source available to me that I use. First - it is almost impossible to have any real "original" thought - as almost every topic or subject that you can think of - somebody else has already written about. Secondly - I do use a resource - available to everyone - the Bible and the internet. With my basic knowledge of Holy Scripture - a solid background in Christianity -my diaconal training - and my basic love of Jesus and His people - all that - gives me more than enough material to write my daily blog. And write daily I do. On occasion - when I travel - I may prepare some articles in advance - as I did recently when I was in Poland. If I think that internet services may not be readily available - then I will write in advance - so all I have to do is go online and "Publish" a pre-written article. Otherwise what you read is written on a daily basis. The articles and titles are all mine - taken from whatever is happening in my personal life. The article about power washers - was the result of spending hours washing my deck.  You can probably go back and figure out what was happening to me the day previous if you really think and realize that my article titles actually tell a story of what is happening in my life.

So back to Tom's question - how do I manage to write daily? To me it is a gift from God - I have the ability to see God's hand at work in a lot of different and unusual situations. Where some people see only devastation - loneliness - emptiness - I see God. Where many people go for the first impression - I take a different road - and look for God hidden in minor details - that tells a completely different story. In the photo above some will see a nebula - others the eye of God. It is all about realizing that by myself - I am nothing - and only with God in my life - do I have a potential - a possibility to be - at best - average. If I can empty myself and be open to however and whenever God wants to work through me - then so be it.  Nothing more - nothing less - as I live out the words selected by my brothers in deacon formation - as our ordination motto - "To love and serve the Lord".


Deacon Dale 

Power Washer

Power washers are very helpful tools - using a gas engine or an electrical power source - it takes an ordinary stream of water and increases the force at which the water is sprayed. Power washers are used to clean cars, house siding and decks among other items. Using a power washer not only speeds up the task at hand - it also cleans deeper and with more force - with a small effort on the operator's part - to do a good deep cleaning.

Jesus does not need to use a power washer to get you clean. When you decide that you can no longer live with the stain of sin in your life - all you need to do is to go to Jesus and confess your sins to Him. He will take the sins in your life and remove them from you in a very gentle but very thorough way to completely clean you. Jesus cleans you and makes you whole - to enjoy the life that His Father had planned for you since the time of creation. If you are unsure how to do this -speak with your parish priest or minister - they will be more than happy to help you experience the power of God's cleansing in your life.

Deacon Dale 

Northern European Mutt

Northern European Mutt - that is me.  This is in reference to my genealogy. Some people - like my wife - can claim to be purebred since both her parents were of Polish descent - one generation removed from Poland. My family roots are not as clear or as clean. Although my mother was pure Italian direct from Italy - my father's family history is a bit more varied as our surname of English origin is compounded with English, Irish, Welsh, German, French and Jewish ancestry. My mother used to always say we were Heinz seven varities when discussing family origins. I never did figure out the Jewish roots as that is really a religious designation.  Most Americans probably fall into the same "mutt" category as I do - with a varied mix of nationalities.  For me this has not caused confusion - rather a desire to get to know each of the nationalities that are a part of my family history.

Spiritually all Christians claim the same background - Jesus people. The difference between Christians happens when you discuss denominational lines - Protestant - Catholic - Orthodox - and then all the sub-categories under each of those.  A few of these tend to see major differences from the others and because of that - do not see people from other "lines" as brothers and sisters in the Lord.  No matter what our doctrinal differences - we are all one - under the One - the only Lord.  When people begin to really understand their religious roots as well as their genealogical roots we might actually stop the pointing and accusing and get on with the business of being Christ's modern day disciples! Jesus said "to love the Lord your God with all your heart - with all your soul and with all your mind is the first commandment and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself."  If we are to be Jesus' modern day disciples we need to give up the finger and instead offer our hands!


Deacon Dale 

Italy Pilgrimage - Register Now

Today's post is all about a pilgrimage that I am leading to Italy. We depart Chicago November 7, 2012 and return November 17, 2012 on an 11 day spiritual journey through Italy. We begin in Venice continue to Florence and Assisi and end up at Rome - the city of eternal love. 

Deacon's Dale's Italy Pilgrimage 2012 

If you click the link above it  will display a file that explains the pilgrimage in detail - the costs and most of what you need to know. I will be traveling with Father Michael Callea, MIC who will be celebrating Holy Mass daily. This promises to be a great pilgrimage. There is also a fair amount of free time for pilgrims to wander on their own - so you are not "tied" to the group the entire time.  I have been to Italy three times previously and each time I enjoy it more and more. This is a great place to travel as a couple if married - there is so much romance, history, culture and spirituality to share. Even individuals enjoy and appreciate all that Italy holds. Our pilgrimage is very well priced and a great value. Registrations are due now - reserve your place for $400.  Please look at the PDF file above and if you have any questions send me an email at:  deacondale@deacontravel.org

Deacon Dale 

Back To The Future

What a great feeling - my blog has finally been updated and back looking the way I wanted. For some reason it would not accept some recent updates and was not displaying as I designed it to look - but all things come to he who waits.  I hope it is a little more readable for my readers and the side bar information easier to locate. Hopefully now I will be able to also post the current pilgrimage to Italy that I have been working on - if anyone is interested to learn more - please hang in there and I will see if I can upload the pdf file.  Thanks for your patience.


Deacon Dale 

Your Wait Time Will Be.....

That dreaded message when you call a business or organization - "Your wait time will be..." then they state the time - anywhere from a few seconds to unbelievably long wait times. I realize that everybody has peak periods when they have to put your phone call on hold - but waiting fifteen minutes or longer is really unacceptable - and yet - if important enough - we wait. The real reason for such protracted wait times is not because of the volume of calls but rather the lack of staff to handle the calls.  In an effort to streamline operations and to reduce the expense of payroll - all too many organizations have made the decision to sacrifice customer service in an effort to beef up their bottom line - as a way to stay financially solvent or to increase personal profits. While you can understand and sympathize with the organization that is struggling financially - it becomes very irritating when it is done by a mega-billion operation that is not struggling.  The cutbacks in staffing when not justified - but fueled by corporate greed are unacceptable.

Thankfully when dealing with God - there are no cutbacks or layoffs. God does not short change anyone. When you need God's attention - He is there. When you call to Jesus in prayer - He is there. When you are hurting and lonely - He is there. Whenever you need Him - whatever the situation - no matter how serious or minor - He is always there.  Jesus - the One who Loves You - always has time for you - immediately!


Deacon Dale 

Men In Black

When you mention Men In Black most people might think of MIB3 the newest movie in the Men In Black  series with Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. If you have seen the movies - they depict a group of primarily men - although there are some women - who dress in completely black suits and wear dark black sunglasses - a pseudo FBI or CIA group whose objective is to protect the Earth from alien creatures who want to harm the Earth. Part of the premises is that alien creatures freely roam the Earth disguised as normal humans - on occasion the Earth comes under attack by aliens and it is the job of MIB to bring a halt to those plans.

The actual Men In Black that I really wish to focus on is the priests and deacons who tirelessly give of their lives to help people on their spiritual journeys. It is this group of men who help protect the faith of the men and women of their parishes. It is their leadership - their listening skills - their guidance - that helps people avoid alien thoughts contrary to the Truth. The priest and deacons - who through the Grace of ordination - are empowered by God to cope with issues that are literally not of this world. To these men - my fellow clergy - I offer my prayers for constant blessings from God. The next time you see your priest or deacon - let them know how much you appreciate them and the time they devote to you.


Deacon Dale