I found him whom my soul loves. These words have been resounding in my heart and mind almost constantly over the last couple of weeks. // Let's rewind for a few moments, if you will, to Fall 2012. I had just graduated college, and had recently begun my first full-time job, as a paralegal at a law firm, although my degree is in psychology. My high school and college years were strung together by a common theme: "What am I doing?" All of my experiences in the short 22 years that I had been alive came to a head when I finally decided that I was brave enough to step outside of my comfort zone, to make the changes I knew I needed to make. I found myself in the confessional one September Saturday, and the very next day I was at a brand new church, ready to start totally new. I spent the next several months learning and growing and trying to figure out, "Now, what?" I had an excellent job, wonderful co-workers and more extra-curriculars than I had time for, even though they were mostly all church-related. My life had been on overdrive for the last four years I couldn't figure out how to slow down and just be still. I couldn't figure out what God was calling me to. I dare say that confusion in young people - young adults - is not uncommon. We are bombarded with so many options, so many opportunities and so much noise. It can often feel like the chaos of life is drowning out the whisperings of our Lord, and quite often, it does. I was having a hard time tuning those distractions out. [bctt tweet="It can feel like the chaos of life is drowning out the whisperings of our Lord, and often, it does."] One thing led to another and I ended up in the hands of an awesome spiritual director, Fr. Joe, who has been guiding me for almost two years through these distractions. // Fast forward to Fall 2014. I still had no idea, vocationally, what God was calling me to, but I did know one thing: God was calling me to something more. He was once more calling me out of my comfort zone, asking me to go beyond myself, to trust Him, and so I did. I took a leap of faith and applied for a job as the youth minister and pastoral assistant at my parish, a job I'm seriously unqualified for, except for my desire to serve. And apparently, that's all that God needed from me, my willingness to serve his children, to trust in him, because now I work where I worship, and it's all in his hands. // That brings us back to today. I took my first few days off from this new job of mine to go visit my best friends who just had their first baby, pray for them, and to spend some time relaxing, reflecting and praying at home. This is what I know, or don't know, and having been praying about during my vacation. I know that even though I still have no idea whether I'm called to religious life or married life, or even living an authentically single life, at this moment in time I'm exactly where I should be. [bctt tweet="Even though I don't know my vocation, at this moment in time I'm exactly where I should be."] I cannot envision working outside of the Church again. Fr. Joe says that some people can't do anything except work for God, which I feel is now me. I can't put into words the joy that fills my heart serving the parishioners and especially the youth of our small country parish. I know that when we sincerely approach God in prayer with an open heart and a willingness to trust, He always provides. He will never lead us astray. So even though I am still discerning, I know that when I hand it to Him, he will take my hand and lead me to Him. Have patience and trust in Him when you are uncertain and know that He is certain. // So as I came forward to receive the Eucharist at morning Mass a few days ago, as my heart rate increased and I got butterflies in my stomach, I realized that I truly have found Him whom my soul loves, and nothing could be better. [bctt tweet="I truly have found Him whom my soul loves, and nothing could be better."] photo by Madi Myers Cook Emily Kwiatkowski is a 24 year old youth minister and pastoral assistant discerning life and learning to love more each day.

This week's weekly wallpaper comes from Psalm 33:20-22 - Our soul waits for the Lord who is our help and our shield May your kindness, o Lord, be upon us who have put our hope in you Let our souls not lose hope in our God who is our help in his kindness. Download the free wallpaper for your desktop and phone. It was made by Erica of Be A Heart. She saw her dear friend, Perrin's beautiful handmade marbles and knew she had to include it on a Sunday wallpaper. She then hand lettered the psalm to create a unique wallpaper, just for us! Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

Today we are talking about FINDING JOY. "Joy is prayer; joy is strength: joy is love; joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls." // Mother Teresa You can find all the themes here. We are happy to announce today the themes for the month of July! They are: July 2: FREEDOM July 9: MAKING TIME July 16: REAL July 23: THY WILL BE DONE July 30: FORGIVENESS Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. [bctt tweet="The #BISsisterhood link-up is where it's at. I just added my post here:"] Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day. An InLinkz Link-up

Trusting God. Letting Go. Finding Joy. Those three phrases seem like such simple and easy concepts when you see them written down. I'm the kind of girl who never used to stress. I was incredibly good at letting life take me wherever, trusting that God's got it covered. I'm the girl who skipped with carefree ease into an art degree with no real job potential because I knew that was my purpose. I merrily jaunted off to Europe by myself multiple times because I found programs that looked exciting. I packed up my Toyota Corolla with all my worldly possessions and moved halfway across the country - twice - with no real job or place to stay. This was me, and these life adventures brought marvelous opportunities into fruition. And, then, I married a guy who was kind of the exact opposite. He appreciates well-laid and practical plans. Not only that, but he is also three quarters of the way through a really tough, really stressful academic program (that'll end with a great paycheck, but also a massive loan). I've always had this idea of what marriage would be like and, more specifically, what the first two years of our marriage would look like with my husband as a full-time student. Me, working to support us; school breaks being used for fun trips and outings; lots of studying intermixed with casual relaxation... we had it all planned out. And then the program got tougher and the stress got heavier, and suddenly, I was being asked to please let go and trust God. Let go. Find joy in different ways. Be understanding that school breaks needed to be real breaks to catch up on mental exhaustion. Be understanding that hours of video gaming was a way for my husband to mentally chill out and excursions all around the city just...weren't. Most of my life, I associated "trusting God and letting go" with the ability to fling off stress casually and still doing all the awesome things I wanted to do. My stress back then came from wondering whether the crazy plans I was convinced I was supposed to do would actually work. Somehow...unbelievably...they always did. I'd let go... and then everything would fall into place. It would be a God moment. But when your life is suddenly intertwined with another person's - and you have conflicting ideas on how to best handle certain situations - this won't always be the case. I feel like a bit of an idiot typing that out and realizing that - for one of the first, real times in my life - I'm really really having to let go of my own plans. And not even because there's no way for them to work out - because there is! - but more because it's what's best for my spouse right now. I’m struggling with how to do this, though. How to just stop and say: “Okay, God - I get it, I need to let go of this right now and not just accept, but find joy in your plans. Even though my plans seriously sound way cooler.” “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you,” reads 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Giving thanks in all circumstances can be a tough drink to swallow. And joy. Oh, joy. Not happiness, just joy; a state of mind so much deeper and more fulfilling than happiness, which is fleeting and temperamental and totally dependent on emotions. Joy, however, is a choice. A willingness to embrace and welcome God’s plan, come whatever. It’s learning that, “...in whatever state I am, to be content.” (Philippians 4:11) This elusive talent of being content exasperates me at times, but I try. I find focusing more on God and less on me by not letting myself skip devotional time (even though sometimes I’m really tempted) is a huge help. I also sometimes have to force myself not to spend time obsessing over what I’d rather be doing. Sometimes this means delving into a new project, other times it means spending less time on Instagram and Facebook, where envy can easily rear its ugly head. But most of all, it’s grabbing at the small things in life: finding joy in the nitty gritty aspects of my day, rather than constantly looking ahead. Giedre is a portrait photographer & blogger based out of Chicago, Illinois. She carries a canon, shoots obsessively, and always writes about it afterwards. Connect with her at Walking Dot Photography.

Studying theology in graduate school afforded me the luxury of exploring my Catholic faith in ways I had never anticipated and will be forever grateful for. It opened a window to a world of excitement about who God is, seeking the movement of the Spirit in the mundane every day, and pondering what this Jesus looks like today and who he is inviting me to become. One of the attributes of Jesus’ ministry that shocked me most was his simple modeling of right relationship by demonstrating a ‘third way.’ He does this in politically-charged situations, as well as real, daily encounters with men, women and children. How is it that some of the most profound spiritual insights come from the simple and practical? Whether instructing radical forgiveness or affirming generous - even lavish - gestures of adoration, Jesus consistently surprises those in his company by acting outside of the norm. Jesus’ love is inventive— and calls forth the same creativity from his followers in our relationships and endeavors. ***** Fast forward five years and two babies later and my days seldom look like the luxurious afternoons spent quietly reading, Abbey bells softly tolling in the background. Case in point: In mid-June I began waddling my nearly-baked bambino and two year old to the pool every Tuesday and Friday. This became somewhat of a post-nap time tradition—a way to spend some special time together just the two of us before the new baby arrived, and to achieve some relief from the heat of the Colorado afternoons in the bewitching hours before Daddy got home from work. It happened on one of these sweltering days. We gathered the pool necessities: inflatable hippo, hot pink maternity swimsuit, and snacks. The heat was undeniable, as were the gathering clouds to the west. My neighbor called out from across the street: “You’re going to the pool, now?!” ‘Yep,’ I responded (clearly feeling confident about my own weather predictions and desperate for a break in the heat). As luck would have it, the summer pool staff felt the same about those storm clouds as my neighbor, and announced that the pool was closing just as we arrived. You can already imagine what comes next—my sweet, somewhat groggy two year old, sporting her lime green Hello Kitty swimsuit, already lubed with sunscreen, gripping her beloved hippo, begins to meltdown. Rain is pouring now and all the way home I offer suggestions to distract her from this disappointment. “We’ll fill up the tub,” I suggest, “…and pretend like we’re at the pool!” She is not buying it. And frankly, neither am I. We unbuckle and head into the house as the torrential downpour beats upon the roof. In an inspired moment, I steer her back through the garage and into the pouring rain. She looked up at me, confirming mom’s condolence of such strange behavior, though she needed no encouragement once she got the go-ahead. The next fifteen minutes were exhilarating as we ran ankle-deep through the puddles bubbling by our house. Chubby toddler legs carrying the excitement of the two extremes: hot & cold. It made for an eerie effect as we watched the steam rise from the hot asphalt as the rain poured down. Over my saturated t-shirt stuck to my growing belly, I marveled at the paradox before me: parched earth, welcoming rain, deep-seeded need meeting providential nourishment. So it was for her—and me as well. One unscripted decision changed catastrophe into wild celebration for the two of us (and the neighbors watching the commotion out of their windows!) that day. And I suspect that this is a taste of what God intends for us—to heed this invitation to turn from despair to rejoicing that is perpetually awaiting our recognition and creativity. [bctt tweet="I suspect that this is a taste of what God intends for us—to heed His invitation."] St. Irenaeus said it well in his sentiment that “The glory of God is the human person fully alive.” I do not always recognize these opportunities, but it is experiences like this one that keep me searching for, imagining and affirming the next Spirit-infused invitation. Katie is a wife and mom to two busy girls in Denver, CO. Steeped in theological reflection, young adult ministry and motherhood; she is appreciative of any and all wisdom she can glean from those living intentional lives of faith.

This weekly wallpaper for Pentecost was beautifully designed by Lauren of Lauren Michele Art. She is a lovely member of our community. We are so happy to feature her work this week. It comes from the second reading, Galatians 5:22 - The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, self-control. We hope to carry these words in our hearts the next week, to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us to manifest the fruits in our lives. Download the free wallpaper for your phone or desktop below and check out Lauren's shop for more of her work! Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

Today we are talking about BODY IMAGE. Having been made in the image and likeness of God, every person is good -- including the body given to you by Him. Sometimes it is hard to see this fundamental truth beneath the flaws, but don't let those rob you of the joy of the beauty uniquely yours! You can find all the themes here. Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. [bctt tweet="The #BISsisterhood link-up is where it's at. I just added my post here:"] Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day. An InLinkz Link-up

“While we’re sitting at the Starbucks in the food court, we might find that our eyes are constantly darting to watch the other girls and women pass by. In just the blink of an eye, we find that we’ve sized them up from top to bottom; noticed their hair and sandals; wordlessly scorned their garish make-up and chubby ankles; or silently admired, even craved their D&G sunglasses or their naturally wavy hair.” ~Desiring the Kingdom, James K.A. Smith Dallas is teaching me a lot about myself. In a city of designer brands, fancy cars, pretty clothes and perfect-looking people, I fall prey again and again to this trap of comparison. “Her clothes are more stylish than mine.” “My jeans are two years old.” “Why does her hair always look pretty? Mine is a constant mess.” “Even my little blue purse doesn’t stand a chance against these designer bags all around me.” I have never been in a place before now that reveals this area of my heart so clearly as Dallas does. I go to the mall and I feel like I stick out. I go out to dinner and inevitably feel underdressed and frumpy. So it is a constant struggle, an exhausting battle, not to constantly compare myself to others. I remind myself that it is not the appearance that matters. I walk around the mall and realize how self-centered I am to think that as I am walking through the mall, people are looking at me and at what I am wearing. These are good and helpful realizations of my condition, but Smith presents another thought that struck me this morning as I read his book. “Subtly, then, we’ve construed our relationships largely in terms of competition—against one another and against the icons of the ideal that have been painted for us. And in the process, we have also objectified others: we have turned them into artifacts for observation and evaluation, things to be looked at, and by playing this game, we’ve also turned ourselves into similar sorts of objects, evaluating ourselves based on our success at being objects worth looking at.” (Smith) When I look someone up and down and compare myself positively or negatively to them, I am not just feeding my pride, vanity, and selfishness. I am objectifying another human being, another bearer of the divine image. This language carries force. When we read or talk about men and lust, pornography, or other sexual traps, we talk about it in the same language. Pornography objectifies women, removing their humanity and presenting them as objects to be consumed and wanted. Women rise up against this objectifying, yet we are doing precisely the same thing to one another, and to ourselves. When I look a woman over in order to compare my appearance or wardrobe to hers, I am objectifying her. I am choosing to see her as an appearance or a fashion statement, instead of as a specific and intricate and valuable creation of the God who made us both. Before the world, God chose to create her. God exists in her countenance, her build, the wrinkles on her face, and in the depth of her eyes. She is not an object to be looked over. She is a divinely-created being who bears the image of a Creator who loves and treasures her deeply. She is a walking image of God, not to be objectified because of my pride or selfishness. “When you visualized a man or woman carefully, you could always begin to feel pity—that was a quality God’s image carried with it. When you saw the lines at the corners of the eyes, the shape of the mouth, how the hair grew, it was impossible to hate. Hate was just a failure of the imagination.” ~The Power and the Glory, Graham Greene Shannon Lacy is a young wife to a grad school student, mother to her first daughter (just born this month!), and a recent convert to the Catholic Church.

A few years ago, I found myself feeling indignant about our culture and its obsession with perfect bodies. I had entered that age in life where everywhere I turned it seemed some one was getting "The Mommy Package." After having become pregnant and birthed healthy babies, my more wealthy peers were turning to plastic surgeons to erase the physical signs of motherhood. Breasts were being plumped and raised, faces were getting tightened, tummies were being tucked. Those with the means were spending in pursuit of the bodies they always wanted. Disheartened, I wrote a very poor poem which I will not share with you now - but the gist of my reflection was as mothers we shouldn't strive to look like a young girl. Our bodies are a reflection of our sacrifice, our selfless giving, our devotion. From the crows feet to the stretch marks to the fallen arches from head to toe, our bodies have transformed through childbirth, and that is a not a bad thing. We can admire the beauty in a young, childless woman, but we should also be able to recognize the beauty in our own imperfect forms as well. I still hold to that notion. I fear that we send a horrible message to our daughters when we undergo unnecessary plastic surgery in pursuit of enhancing our bodies. Skinnier is not better. Implanting our breasts with something to make them bigger is not better. Obsessing about what we look like on the outside is dangerous and there are real risks with every surgery. I want my daughters to embrace the body they are given to house their souls, not lament about it. [bctt tweet="I want my daughters to embrace the body they are given to house their souls, not lament about it."] That said, we all notice that the body never really returns to the same state after a baby. Exercise and diet just aren't enough usually to get us back to the SAME pre-pregnancy state. If we live a healthy life of moderation, that should be okay, though. We aren't the same person we once were. There are also changes that happen internally that women don't often talk about. Quite honestly, after just two kids, I didn't ever even think about those changes. With each pregnancy, the organs in the body shift to accommodate the growing uterus. It is a miraculous thing that the baby can grow and our organs are just fine being shoved around. But, then, the baby is out, and the body, what, just remembers where everything is supposed to be? Magically, that stomach and gall bladder return to their homes? Well, not always. A whopping 300,000 surgeries are performed each year to help women who have pelvic organ prolapse, which although not as common a surgery as breast implants, far out numbers tummy tucks. Fifty percent of women between the ages of 50-79 will be diagnosed with pelvic organ prolapse. What is this? Just what it sounds like. The organs in your pelvic region are not where they are supposed to be. And it isn't the only 'crazy' side effect of motherhood - What about abdominal hernia and diastasis recti? You know, that Mommy Tummy that occurs when the stomach muscles don't go back together. It can be a real medical condition, not just a cosmetic issue. Repair of the abdominal hernia is the most common surgery there is (due to many things other than pregnancy as well). There are all sorts of other medical issues I am sure as well, but you get the point. So now I am forced to review the naive stance taken in my 20s. These tracks of motherhood - the stretch marks and saggy breasts, the loose skin and other things that have us sighing or avoiding the full length mirrors when we change - how do we determine when to 'fix' the things that have changed over the years? The answer is: We fix what is broken. Not because we don't like the way it looks, but rather because it doesn't work any more. If our muscles aren't working anymore, we fix it. If our excretory system isn't functioning correctly, we fix it. Just like we would fix a broken bone. If we are still carrying that extra 10 or 15 lbs, we should fix that too so that our body works better. We should strive to be healthy. Health and exterior beauty, although linked, are not the same thing. Work towards good health and fix your health issues -- but also seek to recognize the beauty that God sees in you. Those stretch marks are proof that just when you think you can't be torn any further, you can, with God's grace, survive just a little more. Your laugh lines come with happy memories. Your sun spots were carefully earned after countless hours pushing your daughter in the swing or watching your child kick around the soccer ball. If your empty breasts bother you, then get a better bra. Think about it next time you are looking in the mirror. Do you see all the things that are wrong with you or do you see yourself as God sees you? Beautifully created for a unique purpose in this world. MaryRuth is a wife, a mother of four (plus one in heaven), a convert to the faith, and an avid reader. She writes under the name DrMomAZ at Peer Parenting Review where she polishes off her PhD and covers topics of child development, parenting, and Catholic family life. This post originally appeared on Peer Parenting Review.

The weeks seem to go so quickly and we're back with another Sunday free weekly wallpaper, by me, Erica of Be a Heart. It comes from the second reading today, Ephesians 4:10 - The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens that he might fill all things. This really struck me in the readings today, "that he might fill all things." When I am not well, it is because I feel an emptiness--I am tired from a long days work or I haven't taken time for silent prayer in a while or I haven't connected with my loved ones in my community for too many days. But then he says that he ascended so that he might fill all things. Those dark chocolate peanut butter cups from Trader Joe's will not fill that emptiness nor will binge watching TV. He will. It reminded me of something a friend said long ago in a high school retreat. She said, "so often the emptiness feels like the Grand Canyon and I try to fill that giant hole with things the size of a golf ball--all the vices of life. It takes a lot of golf balls. But God can fill up every single crevice of that hole with his love. It seems much better to go to the source than constantly be looking for more and more golf balls." A little behind my process, this week. On Monday mornings, I look up the readings for the upcoming Sunday's scripture. I look for verses that jump out to me. Sometimes it comes easily and other times I have to revisit it in the subsequent days. Once I have a verse, I let it settle in my heart for a while. I try to think of colors and techniques. Occasionally, I'll be working on something else for a client, and I will make something similar. Other times, like this week, I attempt new techniques--things I've never done before. I knew I wanted to depict the, "I fill all things," so I was brainstorming things that are full. The cup that runneth over. Then I started thinking about how I love indigo shibori for fabric and that it would look cool on paper. I obviously couldn't do the full technique because watercolor paper doesn't fold easily, but I got out my drawing gum and did some "faux" shibori. Sometimes the risks work out, like today. I am so grateful to all of you who write to us and tell us how much you love the wallpapers each week. I carry you with me as I create them-- a tiny offering to this amazing community that we have here. Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

Today we are talking about PERSEVERANCE. "[S]ince we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us." ~ Hebrews 12:1 We have an incredible team in heaven who have given us good example and are rooting us on as we run the race set before us. Don't give up! You can find all the themes here. Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day.   An InLinkz Link-up

It's one of those days where I have zero clue as to the actual day. I was swearing to my husband that it was Monday, which gave him one of those please-let-her-be-wrong-it-couldn't-possibly-be-Monday looks. Fortunately I was wrong. But gee-whiz! If that's any sign that I/we could use a break I don't know what is! We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. // Blessed Mother Teresa With late work nights, scattered with holidays and life responsibilities, I feel like my head is just above water. Peeking out. Trying to find land. I know it's there. Just a few more strokes till my feet can touch the ground so that I can find my bearings and hopefully trudge my way to dry land. It's there. Dry land. Sunshine. Salty breezes. And, warmth. The soft sand that squishes beneath your toes. The landing place that lets you sit back and enjoy the sounds of the ocean instead of forcing yourself to fight the current. Where you can just enjoy the salty air. Breathe it in. Feel it on your skin. Enjoy. I know it's there. But when you're out treading past wave after wave, it's hard to really know. All you see is the next wave coming your way. You pray that you can get over this next one -- just this next one -- because that's the only energy you can muster up for that moment. Enough energy for the next one. [bctt tweet="When you're out treading past wave after wave, it's hard to really remember there's land."] And, sometimes that's okay. Sometimes that's just the season. We've been up to our ears in that season these last few weeks, but thankfully, the water is getting to a place of calm. And, thankfully, I can swim. Even if it looks rough. Even if it's not entirely efficient. I'm just thankful I can tread. Thankful. Long work hours are tough days/weeks/months for everyone. Limits get tested both physically and mentally. Throw a teething baby into the mix -- the one who likes to arch his back and not be consoled -- and you have a mix for the potential to drown. But, I'm not drowning. I'm not going to drown. Grace abounds. And, this is good. Let us throw ourselves into the ocean of His goodness, where every failing will be canceled and anxiety turned into love. // St. Paul of the Cross The passion of Jesus is a sea of sorrows, but it is also an ocean of love. Ask the Lord to teach you to fish in this ocean. Dive into its depths. No matter how deep you go, you will never reach the bottom. // St. Paul of the Cross [bctt tweet="Grace abounds. And this is good."] The words of the saints hold me during these times. They remind me that every little bit counts and the fact that I am treading water is okay. They remind me that even though my little ocean exhausts me from time to time, I am forever thankful for every part of it. The two toddlers and wonderful husband make up my little ocean of goodness. It's the same ocean where His Love can always be found whether it be on the sandy beach or deep in the crashing waves. Every time I respond with love and tenderness, His Goodness and Love meets my children and husband. The saints remind me that His Love abounds and somehow my failings can be transformed with His Grace. They remind me that I've been taught to love. And, therefore, I am capable to share it daily and to the best of my sleepy-mama ability. [bctt tweet="The saints remind me that His Love abounds and somehow my failings can be transformed."] As much as I struggle, I know I love them with all that I am. And, because of that truth, I know that at the end of my days I have erred on the side of Love as much as my little mama self can. The challenge for me is to find Him and His Love in my crashing waves and in the sunshine. To know that this is a season. That it will pass. And, with His Grace, embrace the ups and downs of my vocation with joy. [bctt tweet="The challenge for me is to find Him and His Love in my crashing waves and in the sunshine."] The saints are always so great about encouraging perspective in me that calms my soul during these tough times. What helps you ride the waves calmly as they come crashing one after another? Amanda Perales is a Catholic wife and mama to two littles. She's a saint-wisdom seeker, lover of all things coffee and sleep, a foodie who loves to bake, sorta crunchy, and a mama-tographer who is trying to say her daily Fiat for Him whom her soul longs. She blogs at Erring on the Side of Love.

This weekly wallpaper is fresh and uplifting from Erica of Be a Heart. It comes from today's gospel John 15:9- Remain in my love. So often we make our relationship with God so complicated. We get caught up in the duties of daily life, in guilt for not doing enough. But at the core of our faith is love. Jesus commands us to remain in his love. Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

Today we are talking about MISSION. We are all called by Christ to be missionaries, carrying His word near and far, through our actions and by our words. How is He calling YOU? You can find all the themes here. Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day.   An InLinkz Link-up

People often ask when I decided to become a campus missionary. My call, actually, came to me on an overseas mission trip. As I crossed the muddy waters from the Dominican Republic to Haiti, I watched the natives bathe while their children splashed in the awful smelling, cholera-infected water. Careful not to touch the water for fear of sickness, I thought to myself, “These people don’t realize that they are swimming in infected waters.” As a student, I couldn’t help but wonder what my campus would look like if I placed a spiritual lens over my eyes. I suddenly saw my own friends unknowingly swimming in dangerous, infected waters of hopelessness, confusion, and sin. // Translating the physical poverty in the Dominican Republic to the spiritual poverty on my own college campus placed a sense of urgency and mission on my heart. I responded to this mission by giving Jesus my ‘yes’ to serve as a FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) missionary where I was called to serve at Arizona State University, then at the University of Southern California. Inspired by Saint Pope John Paul II’s call to a “New Evangelization,” FOCUS is a national outreach that meets college students where they are and invites them into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and the Catholic Faith. As a missionary, I signed up to fundraise my salary, enter into a year long dating fast (in order to be more present to the students and to more clearly discern my vocation), and to move across the country in order to serve students that I didn’t even know. Each day my team (there are four of us) prays a Holy Hour, goes to Mass, and spends the rest of the day leading Bible studies, meeting for coffee dates, and finding any excuse to spend time with students. Recently, I was blessed with the opportunity through FOCUS Missions to direct the Dominican Republic mission trip that transformed my heart over three years before. Six USC students and I met up with 18 other students and FOCUS missionaries from across the nation to work on mission alongside two priests from the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia. These holy men serve 10,000 poor people in the rural area of the Dominican Republic on the border of Haiti. The men, women, and children they serve live on the edge of extreme poverty. Most live in sub-standard housing and approximately 25% do not even have the “luxury” of an outhouse. Prior to the trip, our mission group met for the first time in Miami at a retreat center to prepare for departure to the Dominican Republic. In celebration of the announcement of the Jubilee Year of Mercy and as a send off gift for our mission, the priest at the retreat center gave each mission trip participant a Good Shepherd pendant -- the same pectoral cross that Pope Francis wears. The cross includes the image of Christ, as the Good Shepherd, and a dove above his head, symbolic of the Holy Spirit. The Shepherd is carrying the “lost and now found” lamb around his shoulders as He leads a flock of sheep. Adding this pendant to the chain around my neck, I got on the plane to the Dominican Republic praying that the Lord would show me what it means to be a witness of mercy in reflection of the Good Shepherd. Our group of 22 spent a week digging three, ten-foot deep latrines, repairing a rundown chapel and praying with families during the day. Then, we facilitated youth ministry programs in the evenings. At our departing Mass, we prepared to leave the place and people that deeply moved our hearts. During the homily the priest said, “The people of Bánica did not choose their crosses, and we are not here to take them away, but to do what small things we can to help them to carry their crosses well.” One who looks through the lens of the world may feel very uncomfortable by that statement. Suffering is the worst thing that can happen in a secular world view. It is not comfortable to see someone suffering. How often are we inclined to turn our eyes from a homeless person? Often, the American approach is to escape suffering by doing everything we can to eradicate it. However, the reality is that there will always be poverty, pain, and heartache. The Christian approach to suffering is to live in compassion and solidarity with suffering. St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians writes, “If one part suffers, all parts suffer with it…”. From its Latin roots, the word "compassion" literally means to “suffer with”. As Catholics we understand that every human person has God-given dignity that cannot be diminished or taken away by circumstances of life. A person’s worth is not in physical things, but in the fact that they were created in the image and likeness of God. // There was a woman in the Dominican Republic who invited a group of our mission team over for lunch one day. She lived on a dirt floor in a hut made of mud and sticks, but she desired to serve us. Her words of incredible wisdom still resound in my heart. She said, “I have spiritual richness. Many Americans live in spiritual poverty”. In the eyes of the world, this woman has nothing, but she carried the Joy of the Cross because she has her eyes set on the joys of eternal life. As missionaries in the Dominican Republic, our service of digging latrines and repairing a chapel was not life-changing for the people. We did what little things we could to help alleviate their pain, but the greatest gift we could give was to acknowledge their dignity as human persons and to walk with them in the midst of suffering. Each day I meet students on campus who are carrying extremely heavy burdens. The weight of their crosses becomes apparent as they share with me the pain from a broken family, the loss of their purity, the pressure to perform academically, and their attempt to build their identity around image. As a FOCUS missionary on a college campus, I am doing what small things I can to alleviate the pain and pressures of college by simply being present and pointing them to the mercy of the Cross of Christ. It doesn’t seem like much, but the fruit of the seeds we sow is revealed when a student says, “If it weren’t for Jesus working through you, I don’t know where I’d be.” Our crosses take many forms, and we are all called to do what small things we can to help one another carry our crosses well. As brothers and sisters, when we look beyond the surface and extend a loving hand to those we encounter, we unite our crosses, becoming the Body of Christ - the Good Shepherd - helping to carry one another in mercy to freedom in redemption. The faith of those I encountered in the Dominican Republic, the simple people who live off the land and mean it when they say, “Si Dios quiere…” (“If God wills it…”) taught me what it means to be a witness of mercy in reflection of the Good Shepherd and to find joy in uniting our sufferings with the Cross of Christ. // This week we have a beautiful printable for you from Emily, the author of this post. She is a graphic designer, artist, watercolor genius, and much more. Click the image below to get your *free* downloadable watercolored print. Emily is a Nebraska farm girl and new Los Angeleno serving as a FOCUS Missionary at USC. She loves folk music, puns, meeting new people, exploring new places, and the feeling of a paintbrush in her hand. Connect with her at her website.

I am a missionary. Yet, I have never been on a mission. I live out my mission each day in my home. Missionary work calls us to give of ourselves to those in need. Some of the neediest ones I have right before me every day. My little ones require food, clean bodies, education, entertainment. They require my attention, my affection, my affirmation, my heart. I nourish my baby’s body with sustenance that comes from my very being. I feed her tiny body that grows in leaps and bounds every day, a testament to all that God provides. I bathe her following one of those poo-splosions, so that she will not have to feel that disgusting mess on her body. I dance her slim fingers in between mine, helping her discover her own as she intently watches and feels the movement. I kiss her full cheeks until she grins so wide her eyes are merely slits on her precious face. I respond to her giggles, her squeals, looking her right in the eye, as she begs for my attention. She can do none of these things on her own. She needs someone who will give her what she needs. It is a noble endeavor to bring the Gospel to those in faraway lands, but there is ample opportunity to carry it to those closest to us. We carry it in our words, our deeds, our actions. Children are so impressionable. They watch our every move. My daughter imitates the way I spin a spoon in the batter bowl. She runs the comb through her hair, mimicking the way I run it through mine. She learns to wait patiently while I finish reading that last paragraph, as I have waited patiently for her to flip through to the end of her book. She congratulates me on a job well done as I place her dinner in front of her, just as I tell her how proud I am of the tasks she accomplishes. She makes the sign of the Cross across her chest just as she’s watched mommy and daddy do before they pray over the family’s food each night. She repeats, “I’m sorry,” when she has done something wrong, just as I have done each time I have wronged her. I bring Christ’s Gospel directly into my home as well. I regale my daughter with scenes from the Gospel stories, reading page after page from her children’s Bible. We sing songs telling of Jonah in the whale and that man who built the ark. We march the animals two-by-two into a wooden ark that has been scaled down to an appropriate size for our toy shelf. We color pictures that illustrate the lives of men and women who’ve lived out the Gospel message. Sure, I would love to go on the adventure of an overseas mission trip, but my life does not allow for that at this time. Instead, I live out a domestic missionary adventure in my own home, caring for those Christ places before me in this season of my life. [bctt tweet="I live out a domestic missionary adventure in my own home, caring for those Christ places before me."] Laurel Muff is a baker extraordinaire and an ex-runner, hoping to eliminate that ex. A lover of organization and creativity, you can read more about how she is {unsuccessfully} incorporating these into her life with her beloved husband and lovely daughters at her blog 'Muff'in Dome.

This weekly wallpaper from Erica of Be a Heart depicts a verse from today's gospel reading, John 15:5 - I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. We are called to cling to the branches, to rely on the strong support of Christ. Let us remember this week to turn to him so that we may be fruitful (juicy, bright, refreshing fruit) in the world around us. Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper