The Weirdest Thing I Never Finished

I came across this intro spot I made for a weird podcast idea. It is so weird, but looking back its also hilarious. Give it a listen. 

This is from over a year ago when we first moved to Texas, were living with my wife's parents, and looking for a house. I was driving over 1.5 hours to work ONE WAY.

My idea: read through the entire catechism in 30 days and record my thoughts while driving to work each day. 30 days, 30 episodes. RocketCat Blastoff...(such a weird name).

But its good to make weird stuff. You learn a ton and it makes that moment more obvious when you make something that really knocks it out of the park. For instance, when we recorded this episode of The Frank Show, our parish-based podcast show, we'd come a long way, learned a lot, changed a lot, and I feel like we hit a home run. It felt good.

Moral of the Story: Don't be afraid to try, to make weird stuff, or to try to make weird stuff.

Vatican II was 53 Years Ago...

This coming Sunday marks the 53 anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. Pope John XXIII opened with a speech and a prayer. Join me today in prayer with Pope St. John XXIII for the future of our Church.

O divine Spirit, sent by the Father in the Name of Jesus, give your aid and infallible guidance to your Church and pour out on the Ecumenical Council the fullness of your gifts.

O gentle Teacher and Consoler, enlighten the hearts of our prelates who, eagerly responding to the call of the supreme Roman Pontiff, will gather here in solemn conclave.

May this Council produce abundant fruits: may the light and power of the Gospel be more widely diffused in human society; may new vigor be imparted to the Catholic religion and its missionary function; may we all acquire a more profound knowledge of the Church’s doctrine and a wholesome increase of Christian morality.

O gentle Guest of our souls, confirm our minds in truth and dispose our hearts to obedience, that the deliberations of the Council may find us generous consent and prompt obedience.

We pray to you again for the lambs who are no longer part of the one fold of Jesus Christ, that they too, who still glory in the name of Christians, may at last be reunited under one Shepherd.

Renew in our own days your miracles as of a second Pentecost; and grant that Holy Church, reunited in one prayer, more fervent than before, around Mary the Mother of Jesus, and under the leadership of Peter, may extend the kingdom of the divine Savior, a kingdom of truth, justice, love and peace.

Amen.

Also, checkout this old video footage of the opening session of the Council.

And, I picked up this book many years ago and only recently flipped through it, Journal of a Soul is a collection of personal and private writings of Pope St. John XXIII from 1895-1961. It includes his journaling during his years in seminary, the years leading up to his election as Pope, his thoughts and meditations he has while on private retreats in Castel Gandolfo as Pope, and even multiple versions and details of his last will and testament. I highly recommend it. The warmth and simplicity of his life and his desire for union with Jesus Christ above all things is inspiring.

Pick up Journal of a Soul!

If you don't own a catechism, then in a way you're kind of missing out on Vatican II and one of the best kept secrets of the Council. Many have described it as a direct fruit of Vatican II, who's aim was to "guard and present better the precious deposit of faith," as Pope St. John XXIII said at the opening of the Council.

So if you don't own a catechism yet, get one! And don't get some flim-flam ugly or over-sized paperback copy you won't use or read or pray with. Get one and support Reverb Culture here.

It's pocket sized, with a vinyl cover, and it won't hurt if you drop it on your foot.

Working on some videos...

Look out for some fun videos I'm working on! Here's a teaser...

Recipes for Water

Very recently I realized I was drinking, consistently, about 3-5 cups of coffee every working day. Just got to work? Coffee. Just ate lunch? Coffee. About to give a talk? Coffee. Going to staff meeting? Coffee. Meeting with teens? Coffee. Working late? Coffee. Coffee? Coffee.

It was taking a toll on me, and I felt uncomfortable with the dependency on it. I could get moody, experienced huge energy swings, and most importantly, I feel like I was seriously craving simplicity.

Coffee isn't bad. (In fact, its delicious and you should buy some from Monk Rock.) But, for whatever reason, for me right now, it really was enabling a mind-scattering life. I'm already prone to getting stuck scrolling on Instagram, or Facebook, or constantly checking email. I also have a (bad?) habit of filling the quite hours of my day with podcasts. And the coffee-state-of-mind I really feel was making all of these bad habits and inclination more pronounced.

So, as a symbol of my new dedication to finding simplicity again and to reset the body, I've quit the coffee for a season. Who knows how long I'll stick to this.

In the meantime, I've noticed that I've really come to enjoy the experience of having a hot drink to sip on. Something about it is meditative and really human. Hot drinks force you to slow down a bit. They require some prep, but not much. And the steam and smell is comforting and for some reason I associate it with creativity.

To fill this hole in my heart that demands hot drinks, I've experimented with some recipes for hot water. I've found these to be tastey, but they also smell great. The experience is really all part of it. Making the water, cutting and prepping your ingredients, and mixing it together in a nice mug. I don't know why I'm recalling digging this right now, but just trust me. Try it and let me know what you think.

Make some hot water, grab a mug, pull out a book, or pen and paper, or schematics, and enjoy slowing down.

Fresh Water

• hot water
• cut lemon half (squeeze a little juice in the mug)
• fresh mint (home grown is the bomb)

Dessert Water

• yup, hot water
• few drops of vanilla
• squeeze of honey (bigger squeeze if its after 8pm)

The Cleanser

• surprise! hot water...
• tablespoon of honey
• teaspoon of apple cider vinegar

The Below Are Not Recommended...

Waterita

• how about some hot water?
• fresh cut lime half
• tortilla, torn into pieces
• refried beans
• tequila
• regret

Perspirator

• 1 cup very hot water
• 1 sock

The Stamos

• hot water
• a lock of hair
• anti-aging facial mask stuff
• t-shirt with that gross 90's color palette
• a guitar string

Tried any of these? Do you have any recipes for water? Are you living with a mild case of pre-pre-early midlife crisis?

Let me know in the comments!

The Pope, John Boehner, and Zacchaeus

The Pope is in the US! There's plenty of coverage around the web, so I won't pretend to inform you.

However, this morning in prayer (prayer that involved browsing Facebook at one point, I'll admit) I noticed these things. Going back and forth between the news, Scripture, and then dual wielding Scripture with the Catechism, all of these things came together. It all hit me pretty hard and I'm still processing why exactly that is. I'll just leave them here in the order I came across them without any interpretation. Feel free to offer your thoughts.

Luke 19:1-6 He came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. 

549 By freeing some individuals from the earthly evils of hunger, injustice, illness and death, Jesus performed messianic signs. Nevertheless he did not come to abolish all evils here below, but to free men from the gravest slavery, sin, which thwarts them in their vocation as God's sons and causes all forms of human bondage.

1443 During his public life Jesus not only forgave sins, but also made plain the effect of this forgiveness: he reintegrated forgiven sinners into the community of the People of God from which sin had alienated or even excluded them. A remarkable sign of this is the fact that Jesus receives sinners at his table, a gesture that expresses in an astonishing way both God's forgiveness and the return to the bosom of the People of God.

Luke 19:7-10 When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.”  And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” 

2412 In virtue of commutative justice, reparation for injustice committed requires the restitution of stolen goods to their owner: Jesus blesses Zacchaeus for his pledge: "If I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." Those who, directly or indirectly, have taken possession of the goods of another, are obliged to make restitution of them, or to return the equivalent in kind or in money, if the goods have disappeared, as well as the profit or advantages their owner would have legitimately obtained from them. Likewise, all who in some manner have taken part in a theft or who have knowingly benefited from it — for example, those who ordered it, assisted in it, or received the stolen goods — are obliged to make restitution in proportion to their responsibility and to their share of what was stolen.

2712 Contemplative prayer is the prayer of the child of God, of the forgiven sinner who agrees to welcome the love by which he is loved and who wants to respond to it by loving even more. But he knows that the love he is returning is poured out by the Spirit in his heart, for everything is grace from God. Contemplative prayer is the poor and humble surrender to the loving will of the Father in ever deeper union with his beloved Son.

The Belt

The belt is an important piece of man's array of everyday-wear inventory. An homage to the outdoors and simpler times. It's the last piece of animal a man can wear without looking like Crocodile Dundee. It is a statement of purpose. The belt makes the poor pant button redundant and pitiful. It's where the scabbard and sword are hung, the holster and pistol, and the chipotle burrito. The past is preserved in scratches, stains, and a ragged hole you can't reach anymore. Yes, a man's belt is a silent watchman. A trusty companion. An emergency tourniquet. A terror for demons. A time keeper. A snug friend. Men, wear your belts proud. Do them no harm. Pour out a beer, and keep the belt another year.

Wu-Tang, Quality, and Scarcity: Two Things We Need (or three?)

The new and possibly final Wu-Tang album is more than two hours long. It features 31 tracks, all eight living MCs, ... sirens, bombs, samples from kung fu cinema, and original skits. And it took more than two years to produce, mostly because eighty percent of its vocals were re-recorded to capture the intensity of early Wu-Tang records. The album’s title: Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.

Here is some additional info: the CD is housed within two nickel-silver boxes that were hand-carved by a Moroccan artist and his team of ten workers over three months; there is only one physical copy of the album in existence; all digital versions have been destroyed; and bidding starts at $5 million. And we learned yesterday that Once Upon a Time in Shaolin will remain under copyright until 2103 — that’s 88 years.

I came across this article and now the Wu-Tang Clan fascinates me like an itch on the back of my head. I think a lot about making stuff. I really enjoy making stuff.

Creating. Art. Design. Expression. Speaking. Performing. Writing. Evangelizing. Catechizing. MAKING BABIES.

This is a brilliant lesson for all of us that like to make stuff.

--> Drop your expensive pen and listen. <--

There's a saying that in order to survive in a competitive market you are either the first or the best. Quality. There is always room in a market for high quality, because there's virtually no ceiling on it. The Wu-Tang clan spared no expense in making this album.

Hand-cvarved by a Moroccan artist and ten others. Read that again.

Oh, you threw some paint on a square and called it a day? Not the Wu. They took longer and spent more money and crammed more stuff into an album to make it arguably the most valuable, rare, and unique album ever. Do you slave over the stuff you make? Is it high quality?

Quality

How do you know if something is high quality? It kicks a**. People can't not say something about it. People save it. People frame it. People recited it back to you. People share it. People put it on repeat. People lock it in a museum. People are moved by it.

Lots of people. People who don't go to your Church, and people who don't know who you are, and people who aren't the same political party as you. People who are far from you. People who speak a different language. People who disagree with you fundamentally. People who hate you.

Another principal in market economics (that is, selling the crap you make) is scarcity. Scarcity makes something special. Like diamonds. (Or not like diamonds).

There is only one copy of this record. They played it publicly only once. Some people showed up in a room naked without their phones or cameras or recorders or other artificial-experience-validators. And maybe for the first time in years, this album and the weight of its scarcity forced people to shut up and just stand there. It was only going to be played once.

Scarcity

In the search for market penetration, or mass acceptance, or mainstream affirmation, do we forget to make things that are scarce? Scarcity makes something valuable. The most un-scarce things are the least valuable, or at least the least appreciated.

And not just things that are actually, physically, scarce. We often lack a scarcity awareness. The awareness that this minute passing right now is the first and last of its kind. The awareness that this life is only singular. The awareness of the scarcity of good friends. A scarcity awareness.

When making something, the maker must bake scarcity into it. Turn off the camera. Throw away the other copies. Perform it live. Do something singular.

When something can make you feel the weight of scarcity, you see it for the first time. Everything else blurs out of focus. You see it as if it and you are the only things. You really see it.

Does It Have a Scarce Quality?

The Church is calling for a new evangelization. An evangelization "new in its ardor, method, and expression". Its what Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict championed for.

I'm starting to develop a thesis that might somehow connect artists/makers/creators to the future development of evangelization. Maybe its not a big deal. But it sure does help push me further.

"As the 20th century draws to a close, the Church is bidden by God and by events - each of them a call from Him - to renew her trust in catechetical activity as a prime aspect of her mission. She is bidden to offer catechesis her best resources in people and energy, without sparing effort, toil or material means, in order to organize it better and to train qualified personnel." Catechesi Tradendae #15

Are we challenging the borders of this new frontier?

Are we striving constantly to make things that are scarce and high quality?

Or are we racing to repeat things that are popular and unchallenging and that are sure to work?

Do our talks and conferences match up to this? Or are we just repeating THE SAME FREAKING CONFERENCE and the same talks and cute sayings ad infinitum? Does our music challenge us like this? Does our art challenge us? Is it high quality and scarce, sparing no effort or toil or material means?

And here's what is most important to us Christians:

Is our Church's evangelization, catechesis, music, art, culture, writing, [fill in the thing you make] the highest quality and does it weigh heavy in that kind of scarcity that arrests people and holds them still.

Because if the Gospel isn't that, then you aren't sharing the Gospel.

Story Matters

Would you buy a thrift store porcelain figurine for $17 if someone wrote a fictitious story to explain its origins? The existence of such a thing as Significant Objects is a testament to the goodness of the internet. Authors wrote little vingettes to go with the crap objects, and they were then sold on eBay. The fact that all of these yard sale insignificants sold for a total of $8,000 is a testament to the power of story.

Jesus told lots of stories. People connect with stories. In evangelization and catechesis, you can root an idea or doctrine firmly into reality and your audience's mind by telling a story.

Tell more stories. End your talk with a story. Write a story into your thing. Put a story on the website. Throw a story into the newsletter. After that conference send out the story of one of the teen's experience to the parents.

Tell more stories.

Figuring Out How to Evaluate Ministry Methods

As you may have guessed by a previous article of mine about common fallacies found in critiques of youth ministry, I get pretty testy when it comes to people's opinions and critiques of different methods of ministry. I'm not against us making things better, but I go a little crazy when I read a majority of the comments, articles, and books that are a part of this conversation. (Some definitions first. When I say ministry, I'm speaking of ministries in the Church that deal with evangelization and catechesis. Also, I'm using method in a broad sense. Think Lifeteen, YDisciple, peer ministry, Adoration, Lectio Divina, gregorian chant, small groups, experiential catechesis, inductive methods, deductive methods, praise and worship, talks, skits, activities, coloring books, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, relational ministry, prayer ministry, conferences, spoon man, summer camps, etc. etc.)

I'm working on an article that I hope will offer a framework for evaluating methods and methodology for ministry, using specifically youth ministry as a practical example.

But I want your input first.

While doing some reading I came across this quote from the GDC in a fantastic chapter on this exact topic. It is Caroline Farey's work in the book The Pedagogy of God. Her chapter is titled "Methodology in the Light of the Pedagogy of God".

Here's the first:

"The Church, in transmitting the faith, does not have a particular method nor any single method. Rather, she discerns contemporary methods in the light of the pedagogy of God." General Directory for Catechesis 148

Caroline takes this quote to set up her thesis that all methods must be evaluated against God's pedagogy, or God's method.

(I love this because one of the biggest problems is the lack of distinctions we make between the objective and subjective ways we speak about a method.)

Caroline's bold claim is this:

Catechists (read youth minister, blogger, DRE, Diocesan Minister, speakers, etc) need formation, firstly in the deposit of Faith, then in the pedagogy of God... and then in how to examine methods and methodologies in its light in order to discern those methods that are suitable for communication the Faith and those that are not."

Caroline Farey in The Pedagogy of God p.163

So Here's my question to you:

How do you evaluate different methods of (youth) ministry? What makes a particular method successful?

Answer in the comments below or email me. Say something smart or witty and I may include it in the article I'm writing. I'm looking forward to the discussion!

Talk: The Catechism and Apologetics

This week I got to fill in as a speaker at our Parish's series of talks on Apologetics. The topic my coworker gave me, knowing I'm a total nerd about this, is Using the Catechism in Apologetics. I love speaking about the Catechism, and I feel like this talk really summarizes a lot of my research, prayer, and thought on the catechism. In a way it was more of a crash course fire-hydrant-to-the-face on the catechism. There is a LOT of good content packed into this. So I'm throwing it up here hoping it might bless you in some way. I'd love to hear what you think.

Here's the handout: The Catechism and Apologetics PDF

Also, the Homily by Father Raniero Cantalamessa that I refer to and handed out can be found here.

Part of why I set out to create this website was just to document my attempts at growing and thinking and being creative and working for the Church. I tend to lean more towards being vulnerable and messy than polished and neat.

I've been thinking and reading about the Catechism, ministry, evangelization, and catechesis for years now. There are a lot of ideas I've come across or seem to have come up with that I think really need to get out into our Catholic communities. Part of the problem is figuring out the best way to do just that. One of the ways we are trying is through culture, beauty, and the witness of a lifestyle transformed by the Catechism (like we're trying to create at Reverb Culture).

Another challenge is trying to fit all these ideas and big concepts into a digestible talk or format that isn't dry and gets people pumped about the catechism. The Apologetics series normally only runs an hour long, and I'm still working on the best way to present this material (i.e. I have a hard time shutting up once I get going) so we ran a little late (hour and a half).

So, I see this talk as a draft. I definitely learned a lot prepping for it and delivering it. There was a huge response afterwards as people came up and shared with me their reactions.

I'm going to keep thinking and praying about this stuff, and trying every way imaginable to get the Catechism and these ideas out there. I keep feeling it is needed now more than ever.

Join me, won't you?

Let's make a mess.

"The deeper reception of the catechism in the life of the Church still lies ahead." Cardinal Ratzinger