New Pilgrimage

It gives me great pleasure to announce a new pilgrimage opportunity for 2016. This trip will take us to POLAND - flying to Warsaw - traveling around central and southern Poland visiting shrines - churches - cultural sites - ending in Krakow before returning home. This is an updated trip similar to the trip we had planned for 2014 - at a price $500 less than 2014. Everything of significance related to Saint John Paul II - Saint Maximilian Kobe - Saint Faustina Kowalska - Divine Mercy will be covered. In addition we will visit the Auschwitz concentration camp - the Market Square in Krakow - and an option to visit the famous UNESCO Salt Mines. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

POLAND Pilgrimage 

June 20 - 28, 2016

Chicago & Orlando $3299*

Phoenix - Los Angeles - San Diego $3399*

Above Prices Reflect a $150 Early Registration Discount

More Information At

www.DeaconTravel.org

To Register Call 1.630.334.5065

Painting In A Corner

It is a common joke when discussing painting of rooms - houses - lack of planning - painter ends up going in the wrong direction and finds themselves painted into a corner - trapped - forced to wait until the paint dries - before they can move. In reality - a story about planing - thinking a project through - before beginning. The saying - failing to plan - means planning to fail. Whenever we begin any project - all aspects must be considered - plans made - materials gathered - reviewed - before starting. If a project begins with no thought - the door is opened for chaos.

Chaos

God has a plan for each of us - His concept - His design - perfect. As we seek to understand God - we fail - time after time. No one has the mind of God - no one understands God's plan - for us - for the world. Seeking answers to the impossible - fruitless - time waster. Faith teaches us - acceptance - of that which we cannot understand - comprehend. With faith - we believe - with faith we trust - with faith - we come closer to God.

Deacon Dale 

Finding Denise

Denise Thiem - #DeniseThiem - #helpdenisenow - an intensive search has been going on now for four months - seeking to find a forty-one year old woman last seen walking the #CaminodeSantiago in Northern Spain. Like many people seeking guidance in their lives - Denise quit her job and started traveling the world. Her last journey was walking the popular Camino de Santiago. Photos have been posted on social media showing her on various stages of the Camino. Her appearance - use of credit cards - contact with family - suddenly stopped. For months now her family has been searching - hospitals - areas along the Camino - through search groups - personally going to Spain to seek her - with no luck. Notices have been posted here in the USA - internationally - with no results. At this point foul play is suspected. Our best efforts - as people of prayer is to pray that she is found - soon. You can read more Here

God knows each of us as intimately as how many hairs are on our heads - God knows where this woman is - that place yet to be revealed. Although lost to her family - she is not lost to God. Pray that she is found and returned to her family soon.

Deacon Dale 

Sign Of The Times

In life everything changes - very little stays the same. How we apply for jobs no longer requires walking into a shop or business to speak to the manger - it is all online these days. Many items and services can no longer be paid by cash or check - credit and debit cards or electronic transfers only. Every day new changes appear out of nowhere. Newspapers have gone electronic - no home delivery - no "paperboys" - for most of the country. All of this is driven by the need to become consumer friendly - adjusting - modifying - to reach a larger audience - to be more effective in what we do.  I am just as guilty as the next fellow - if you looked at the title of my blog - its has changed - no longer "Deacon Dale's" - rather "The Eye of God".  As I continue to write - attempt to reach a larger audience - I have questioned why a person would be attracted to an obscure deacon named Dale - so I am changing - with an eye on God - an I on God - seeking to see as God sees - commenting on simple things - that we make complicated.

The only thing that I know that doesn't change - God. God the same today - as yesterday - the same tomorrow. God - Jesus - The Holy Spirit - the only constant - the only simple answer - for all complex issues. Nobody will ever know - understand God. Rather than seek complex and confusing answer - sticking with the simple truth - all we really need is - Jesus.

Deacon Dale 

Vacations

Vacations - time off from work - getting away for the summer - traveling to fun destinations. Everyone looks forward to a change in the daily routine - sleeping late - visiting family and friends - relaxing - not working. All too many people do not know how to relax - take their work home - carry their work on vacation. The whole idea of a vacation is to get away - from everything - to allow yourself time for - yourself. Americans work too much - too long - little time for the things that really matter. Those who take work home with themselves - miss the point. The body - the mind - needs time away - away from everything that burdens them. The best vacation - time away from the daily obligations - to focus on yourself - your family - your life.

Even in His life - Jesus - had to get away - away from stress - away from concerns - away from the crowds. Just like us He needed time by Himself - to find Himself - His purpose - to focus on His goals. Jesus calls each of us to a place away from the daily commotion - away from the World and its issues - to a place alone with Him. In Jesus alone - will you find rest.

Deacon Dale 

Put It In Writing

Put it in writing - a common phrase - often when something is spoken - unbelievable - out of the ordinary - worthy of remembering. This morning I received a call from a friend - a parishioner - seeking information - advice. I did not have a clue what I would be asked - told - requested. Whenever I am in this situation I do the only thing I know to help prepare myself - to speak - listen - react - appropriately. I pray. This morning I prayed - God guide me - help me - to be present - attentive - receptive. As I drove to our meeting point - driving through the ongoing construction in our area - I came upon a flashing road sign - warning drivers of the current construction conditions. The sign flashed three messages - Be Alert! - New traffic patterns - Focus on the road. To anyone driving that route - warnings that - once again - the lanes had changed - again - ignore everything else - focus on the road - the barriers - the flashing lights. To me - a different message - immediately I saw in that sign - God's hand in the construction of those three messages - preparing me for my meeting - Be alert - paths are changing - keep my eyes on the road - on the journey. As I met my friend and discussed his concerns - I shared with him - God's message to me - the same message I left with him. Pay attention to his situation - there were changes happening in his life - how he would act and react to those changes - challenges - had to be carefully discerned - with eyes on the road - the journey - the end goal he was seeking. He wrote those three messages down - God's advice to me - in writing - shared with him as a brother in Christ - the message - the answer to his questions. Our meeting - an awesome time - spent together - sharing our lives - sharing the one message - for each of us.

God does not always write His answers down - most often when we seek His counsel - we hear nothing - see nothing - we wonder if He heard our request. As a firm believer - I know God always hears us - the answer normally - a work in progress - often manifested only at a later time. Jesus assures each of us that He - His Father - are always there for us - listening - guiding - answering. In faith we wait - in faith we rest - knowing that in His time - not ours - He will answer our prayers - our requests. Very rarely will we get our answer in writing - always - His answer - written in love - will be etched in our hearts.

Deacon Dale 

Jurassic Monsters

Monsters - Dinosaurs - Jurassic World - all the rage right now. This movie is packing theaters like crazy. This is one movie franchise that seems to never end - thrilling - exciting - scaring - viewers of all ages. I think the attraction  is our basic connection as humans to animals. We share this world with all sorts of animals - from the very smallest insects and one celled amoebas - to giant billion celled animals such as giraffes and elephants and - maybe - dinosaurs. There is a bond - a special connection - between man and animal. Keeping pets - dogs - cats - birds - gerbils - fish - in and around our homes. Feeding them - caring for them - watching them grow - sharing our lives - together. If possible - more than one person - one family - would own a dinosaur - just the idea of being able to communicate - to share life with another species - is exciting.

God's simple message - spoken by Jesus - the same message of sharing life well. We are all one family - different colors of hair - eyes - skin - many languages - one hope - for a peaceful - fruitful - existence - among family - friends - strangers. No one better than another - no one more gifted than another - all blessed by God - in different - similar ways. Sometimes it works - sometimes it does not. Something worth working at - to create a world where everyone is seen as a gift - no one a monster - not even in Jurassic World - not even in our lives.

Deacon Dale 

In Search Of A Hero

Recently - in social media - there has been much talk about heroes - what makes a hero - what gender may be a hero - past - present - future. I will not debate that issue as recently presented. Heroes come in all sizes - shapes - forms - gender - species. One of my favorite heroes was a dog - yes a dog - who saved another dog's life.  Most people would immediately say a dog cannot be a hero - I disagree. Heroes are those who go beyond normal limits - to excel at one specific task. Heroes do not have to repeat an event - once is enough for most to be recognized. It might be a firefighter - carrying a person from a burning home - a high school youth - rescuing a young swimmer - a dog - dragging an injured companion out of harms way - a parent - showing their children by example - how to live a good healthy productive life.  Some years ago a study was done with high school youth - asking who their heroes were. A small percentage - named Michael Jordan or another sports figure - an overwhelming 98 percent - named their parents - as their hero - who they most admired - wanted to grow up to be like. Nobody named any of the popular Super Heroes as their real life hero.

Jesus did not want to be a hero - He came - as the obedient Son - following His Father's wishes - to share the Good News - with all.  Some listened - followed Him - became disciples - students - others - ignored - turned away. Although He came for all - not all accepted Him. That same situation remains today - we have believers - non-believers - accepting - rejecting. In the big scheme of things - not ours to worry who accepts or rejects - ours is to stand firm in our faith - to live lives - that inspire - create hope - sharing the Truth.
We do not have to be heroes - Super Heroes - just ordinary people of God - doing a super job.

Deacon Dale 

Road Trains

On our recent trip to Maryland one thing we noticed very frequently were the road trains - long haul truckers pulling two or three trailers behind the tractor unit. In Illinois we do not see those - in the east a lot more frequently. That prompted research on these very long units - hauling goods over land that might be more often shipped by rail. In doing my research I discovered that three trailers and one tractor is not uncommon at all in some parts of the world - Australia - Sweden - Germany - Denmark - on the Ohio Turnpike - Indiana East - West Toll road. Three trailers is not the longest - in Australia - seven trailer road trains with multiple engines totaling 1,000 horsepower haul ore on private property in mining areas. To drive one of these trains takes special skill - training - assistants. 

Road trains may be compared to prayer partners - those who agree to pray together - two - three - four - six persons - all praying for the same intention. In numbers there is strength - in all things - including prayer. By joining a prayer team - one affirms their common belief in prayer - God - each other - common faith - common hope - common trust. Jesus promised us that when two or more are gathered in prayer - He will be in their midst - the power source - more powerful than a 1,000 horsepower engine - to move mountains - to see results from the faith shown by those in prayer. Prayer by oneself is great - prayer in groups = a moving experience. Either way - through prayer - we remain connected to God - to the source - of all that is.

Deacon Dale 

Falling Rocks

Falling Rocks - one road way sign that you do not want to see - warning drivers of potential danger - from above. On long road trips - for many drivers - exhaustion - poor road conditions - unfamiliar roads - increases the risk of injury. It is imperative that drivers on these roads exercise due diligence- pay attention to all warning signs.  Observing all the signs on the path - assures a safe trip.

God calls each of us to a special relationship with Him - He sends us messages - some obvious - others not as obvious. Normally He works  through the everyday events of our lives - not dramatic - out of the ordinary. Some look to the skies for - spinning suns - other to dramatic events of nature. In reality God more often - whispers - does not shout. He is present in the gentle breeze of a summer afternoon - the soft ringing of outdoor chimes. In all of life - God is always there - quietly sending signs - quietly calling our names.

Deacon Dale