December 2015 Bulletin: Helping Those in Need

Lead article from the December 2015 bulletin, online now!

This month I want to keep it short and simple because we are actively working on a fundraiser benefit for Monica Mize and I want that to be front and center in your minds. For those that don't know Monica, she is a member of the St Michael parish. She was just diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer that has metastasized to her bones causing hypercalcemia. She is looking to fight this battle with a more holistic approach because she is also pregnant with their 8th child and the treatments for the hypercalcemia cannot be prescribed during pregnancy. In addition, the path that the Oncologists would take involves chemotherapy and radiation, which is harmful to the developing baby. Several of the officers met with Monica's CRHP team last week to begin planning a fundraiser for her family. With last month being Respect Life month, I now call on you to take action in supporting our pro-life beliefs. This woman, with seven children at home, is deciding to fight this disease without hurting her unborn child. I could not imagine a more selfless example of being pro-life than what she is doing right now. We must support her and pray for her..

My aunt and godmother were diagnosed with breast cancer in April of this year. This came not even a month after being let go from her job. Due to the intense chemotherapy she's been going through she has not been able to look for a new job and her unemployment benefits have run out. She is not an active member of a parish where she lives and does not have the community support that we have here. I can only do so much to help her and it pains me to see her struggle so hard to get through this. I share this with you not for sympathy but to ask for your prayers and to remind you that we are part of something great. We as the Knights of Columbus and as a Catholic Community are so very blessed to be able to do so much for our own that are struggling and in need. Don't forget that and don't take it for granted because you might be in need of assistance some day. If you can help in any way (time, talent, or treasure) in our upcoming fundraiser for Monica please reach out to myself or another officer.

God Bless!
Joe VanHoorik
Grand Knight

The Knights of Columbus are joining forces with Monica's CRHP team for a comprehensive fundraising event on January 17th culminating with a 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. spaghetti feed at the St Albert’s Parish Center. We will need our spaghetti feed A-Team available to make this feed a huge success!

November 2015 Bulletin: Pro-Life and the Unsung Heroes

Lead article from the November 2015 bulletin, online now.

With October being Respect Life Month there have been plenty of opportunities to reflect on this topic. As a father of 7 it would seem obvious that I am pro-life, but that wasn't always the case.  Of course when someone finds out how many kids I have I get the standard “you must be Catholic” or “you know how that happens right?” or some other comment that drives me crazy.  Why must I be Catholic to have a big family?  The fact is that we were expecting our 4th child before we went through RCIA, so technically we had a big family before fully joining the Church.  But even after having children I still cannot say I was pro-life.  I remember having a very serious conversation with my wife between child 3 and 4 about getting a vasectomy at 26.  We “knew” that we were done having kids after a miscarriage left a bad scar on our marriage.  Thankfully, my procrastination meant that I never got around to making that appointment.  Now, 4 children later, we still seem to have the conversation about being done having kids quite often but permanent prevention is absolutely never an option.  If I have learned anything, its that how I feel today does not mean that I will feel that way in the future.  Life will always give you plenty of opportunities to regret permanent decisions.  I've talked to too many men, especially in our own parish, that have horrible regrets after getting sterilized earlier in their lives.  Fr. Joah put it best in one of his homilies, “being Catholic does not mean having a dozen kids, it means always being open to life and not putting up any barriers to prevent life.”  We as responsible adults are expected to make decisions based on our situation in life and whether we have the resources to raise more children.  The Church doesn't tell us to carelessly have as many children as we can.  We need to be able to provide for those children both financially and emotionally.  There are ways to manage family size without forcing barriers into our bodies.  Don't live your life with regrets, nobody ever regrets another child but they will always regret not having the option to have one more child.

Now let me jump to another, very important side of this issue.  For those of you blessed with biological children ask yourself this question: Would you be the same parent if your children were adopted?  That's a hard question for me to think about because as much as I want to say yes I honestly don't know.  We have been fortunate that we have never had issues conceiving.  I've heard so many heartbreaking stories from men in this community on the struggles of not being able to conceive or bring a pregnancy to full term.  These men and women put everything on the line for that opportunity to be a parent.  Its not until many years pass, lots of tears are shed, and outrageous expenses incurred that many of them finally decide to adopt.  That is if their marriage is still intact after everything they went through.  It's at this point they are faced with yet another daunting challenge in their journey to become parents: more time, more money, and more tears.

After all this they finally get to become parents.  These are people that made sacrifices most couldn't, just to put all that love into raising a child.  How can we deny them that opportunity by not being pro-life?  If these young women only knew what these people go through for the opportunity to adopt their child and the wonderful life they will provide them I think we would see a change of heart.  This is why its so important for us to support pro-life women's centers like Cornerstone.  Places that can get the right information and support to these women.  Never forget these unsung heroes because they are the critical piece of this respect life war we are fighting and they don't get the appreciation they deserve.  Go out and thank an adoptive parent for being the ultimate example of how precious life is and the love that is out there just waiting to embrace these children.

God Bless,

Joe VanHoorik

Grand Knight

October 2015 Bulletin: Catholic Community

Lead article from the October 2015 bulletin, online now.

Community: noun
1. A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
2.  A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.

This last month we got to enjoy the St Michael parish festival.  It amazes me how many people come out to enjoy the festivities of the weekend.  Of course the KC's sponsor the German Dinner on Saturday night, which I must admit is probably my favorite event to work at.  The German Dinner was the first event I worked at when I became a Knight and I remember how much I truly enjoyed myself and how it changed my opinion of the KC's.  I believe this event showcases better than any other what we are all about as Knights of Columbus.  First and foremost we are supporting the church, we conduct the event on church grounds and all profits go directly to the church.  Secondly, we serve the community.  This event draws more that just people looking for good food.  It pays homage to the German heritage that created this community and the people that live here.  The crowd is cheerful and the polka music creates a very nostalgic and friendly atmosphere that gets people to stick around long after they are done eating.  Third, and what impressed me the most as a new knight, was the fraternity between brother knights.  We joke around, we serve a great meal, we support our church, we enjoy a beer together, and we have a great time doing it.  What else defines the KCs better than that?

While at the festival I had the opportunity to meet Angela Erickson, the new director at Cornerstone Options for Women.  I am very excited for the future of Cornerstone.  Angela brings a whole new level of energy and optimism that will take the center to the next level. She will be speaking at our pro-life dinner this month and I encourage you to attend and meet this great addition to a cause we support so greatly.  Aside from our conversation around Cornerstone she made a comment that really got me thinking.  When I introduced myself as the Grand Knight she said: “Aren't you kind of young to be Grand Knight?”  This was awkward, I didn't really know how to answer that statement so while I was trying to think of a response she followed it with: “My husband would like to join the KC's but the men are so much older that he doesn't feel comfortable with it yet.”  Now I understood where the first comment came from.  They are not members of our parish and he is not referring to our council.  I've noticed that its a very common perception of people outside of our community to assume the KCs are strictly a group of older men.  We have a very young and active council.  Just like our parish, our council reflects the unique and vibrant church community we represent.                                                  
What is community?  Community doesn't just apply to where we live.  It applies to the particular characteristic we have in common (Catholics) and the feeling of fellowship with our fellow Catholics.  We have a unique community here that is very rare.  Our church community is not defined by where we live.  We have many parishioners that do not live in the STMA communities.  Its also not defined as just being Catholic.  There are many Catholics churches much closer to many of our parishioners but they still choose to drive out here.  There are also many Catholics in our city that choose to travel to surrounding churches.  Yes, believe it or not, our community is not for everyone and that’s perfectly okay.  Our church community is also not defined by age, social status, or race.  We have such an awesome variety of people that you cannot group us into any other category than by our church community.  Nowhere is our church community more obvious then when you attend the annual festival.  People from all over show up, it even draws a lot of people that aren't even Catholic.  Just like the community we support, our KC council is not your typical council.  We have men of all different ages and social status.  We have more programs and members that most councils.  Every year we see a new group of you men that are on fire with their faith and ready to support this community.  What is it about this church community that drew you in or kept you here?  What can we as Knights of Columbus and Catholic men do to maintain and promote this community so that our children and grandchildren can enjoy it like we are right now?

God Bless!

Joe VanHoorik
Grand Knight

September 2015 Bulletin: A Reflection on Family

Lead article from the September 2015 bulletin, online now.

The past couple weeks have been both difficult and joyous. I had to experience both death and marriage, and it's amazing how they both affect you so similarly when you start to reflect on them.

We laid my grandmother to rest this month. This was not unexpected; in fact it was somewhat of a joyous occasion. We all knew she had been suffering greatly the last several years and was really looking forward to being reunited with her husband and children in heaven. What makes this difficult for me is two things. First of all, between my wife and me, she was the last grandparent we had left. You don't realize how much your grandparents mold your life as a child. What I wouldn't give to have a couple hours with those that already passed on, just to ask questions about their lives and the history of our families. Grandparents hold such a wealth of information that cannot be fully appreciated until we are adults and have our own families.

The second reason this is difficult in that you don't always fully appreciate someone's life until they are gone. I want to share a little bit of information from her obituary that never hit me until someone put it in writing. She had 17 children, 33 grandchildren, and 55 great grandchildren. This is so amazing to me that this one man and one woman created this huge family that just continues to grow even after they are gone. That is 105 lives created due to two people choosing to say yes to each other in marriage and start a family. Then later in the obituary we get to this: She was preceded in death by five of her children. Yes she lost five children, four before they reached their first birthday. I cannot imagine losing a single child, and she had to experience that horrible loss five times. This woman didn't spend her early parenting years running kids from activity to activity or figuring out what smartphone or gadget she should buy them for Christmas. No, she spent her years figuring out how to feed these children and hoping that there would be a little bit of money to put something/anything under the Christmas tree. But regardless of all that, I heard over and over again throughout that weekend about how generous she was and how faithful of a woman she was. Through all her hardship and struggles she never gave up hope and never let it interfere with her love of her Catholic faith. She must have had thousands of opportunities to turn her head to her faith but instead she chose to lean on God in those hard times. The priest talked about how she was always at the church praying and helping out in whatever capacity she could. I never knew she was as faithful as she was, I chalk this up as another lost opportunity to ask a ton of questions. Let us embrace our families while we can and not let the trials of life interfere with what's truly important.

Now let’s jump to a more joyous topic. I had the honor of attending my sister-in-law’s wedding this last weekend in Ossian, Iowa. I wouldn't expect that you heard of it; this is a stereotypical small town in Iowa surrounded by farms and corn fields as far as you can see. What makes this so special is the family that I had the honor of experiencing while I was there. My now brother-in-law's family was so unbelievably welcoming and joyous about this occasion. I heard stories and got to see reunions between people that hadn't seen each other in years. I got to see a proud father share his son's wedding with an entire community. It was truly amazing. My wife commented several times on how she didn't run into a single person that wasn't super welcoming. That family welcomed everyone near and far into their arms this weekend. It pains me to know that my new brother-in-law has no interest in his family farm or moving back to that little community down in Iowa that cares so much about him. But I also realize that people change but our families never do. Regardless of where his life leads him and his new family, that family down in Iowa could not be prouder of him.

It's interesting how a funeral and a wedding can generate such similar emotions and reflections. But unfortunately it takes a major occasion for us to make the time to get together with our families and share those stories that molded us into the people we are today. Don't wait until it's too late to ask questions or share stories with your family. Those are the things that carry on long after you do. What will your legacy be?

2015 KC Soccer Challenge Set for Friday, Sept. 11

The Knights of Columbus Soccer Challenge is returning to St. Michael! All boys and girls ages 9-14 are invited to participate in the local level of competition for the 2015 Knights of Columbus Soccer Challenge. The event will be held on Friday September 11 at the STMA Middle School East soccer fields.

This competition is designed for players to demonstrate the most basic of soccer skills – the penalty kick. Each player will be take 15 shots at the goal from the penalty line that is 12 yards back. The goal is divided into 5 scoring zones with ropes as you can see in the image below. The upper corners are worth 20 points, the lower corners are worth 10 points, and the center is worth 5 points. The participant in each age category with the highest point total will be declared the winner.

 For more information, check out our flyer. If you are a brother Knight able to volunteer for this event, please sign up online.

August 2015 Bulletin: It's Not About Time

Lead article from the August 2015 bulletin, online now.

I sit here looking at my one week old son Micah thinking “Is this really such a good time to be taking on the role of Grand Knight?”  I remember this time last summer when Jim was deciding if he was going to serve a second year.  At the time, my wife Shawna, was finishing up her last year of college and I thought to myself: “Please Jim, just one more year and I will have more time to focus on the role.”  Three years ago, when I was asked to become Chancellor of this council, I had another new baby at home.  I accepted the role thinking “I won’t be Grand Knight for at least a couple more years.  Things will settle down by then and I will have more time to focus on it.”  It’s now 2015 and I’m a father of 7 children ages: 15,12,9,7,3,2 and 1 week.  If you look at those ages you will realize that 3 of those kids have been born since 2012 when I was asked to be Chancellor.  I have plenty of reasons to say no at this point in my life.  I can continue to fool myself into thinking I will have more free time in the future.  But let’s not kid ourselves.  Kids get older and they don’t consume less of our time, they just consume our time in different ways.  I don’t see how that will ever change.  Sure they may move out some day but then they will start having kids of their own and I kind of want to be a big part of their lives too.  So tell me when is a good time to do this?

I’ve realized that this isn’t about time at all.  I can convince myself that I don’t have time to do this but I can also convince myself to spend a whole evening sitting on the couch in front of the TV.  This isn’t about time, this is about commitment and charity.  I’m doing this because it’s my way of giving back to my church and my community.  The same church that welcomed us via RCIA in 2008 and has made such a wonderful impact on our lives since then.  I dedicate time as a baseball coach and swimming official to show my kids that I support them in their activities and want to be involved in their lives.  I dedicate time to the KC’s because I want to show my church, my community, and most importantly the Lord that I support them and I appreciate the impact they have on my life.

See where I’m going with this?  We never have enough time but we always have some time.  Don’t let the fear of a time commitment scare you away from getting involved.  If I asked you to commit 2 hours this year to the KC’s would that scare you off?  You may think that 2 hours isn’t enough to make a difference so why bother.  What if I said that a single 2 hour shift at the tree lot might let that brother knight who has spent the previous 4 hours working the lot go home and eat dinner with his family?  It’s unfortunate but it does happen.  We have well over 400 members in this council, there is no reason any one of us should have to make sacrifices like that.  So yes, your 2 hours a year are important even if it’s not immediately obvious.

I am very proud to be a Knight.  We do so many wonderful things for our church and our community.  I am in this role because it’s how I was called to serve at this point in my life.  How are you being asked to serve?  I ask that you think about this and make one commitment to take action this year.  No matter how big or small that commitment is.  It could be signing up for a shift at the tree lot, attending your first business meeting, or helping us coordinate one of our events.  Everything we do as KC’s is important and it makes us who we are.  Without each and every one of you we wouldn’t be Council 4174.

God Bless,

Joe VanHoorik

Grand Knight

  

June 2015 Bulletin: Year In Review and Council Social!

Lead article from the June 2015 bulletin, online now.

Can you believe it? The fraternal year is over already!

With that, the State Convention was just held and we were lucky enough to take home some hardware. I wasn’t able to make it this year but Deputy Grand Knight Joe Vanhoorik represented us well. We took home 3rd Place for Outstanding Council Activity for the spaghetti fundraiser we held for Ivan. Even better than winning an award, Ivan was able to get the van he needed! Our Council won 2nd Place for Outstanding Youth Activity in recognition of all your hard work and commitment for the Christmas tree lot. Last but not least we won 3rd Place for Outstanding Church Activity for the rectory project. I have to admit that with all the hard work, blood, sweat and tears that went into the Rectory, I thought 3rd was a little low. But then I drive by the rectory and see the Priests walking to their new home with smiles on their faces I think that is what it was all about, not an award. That project was probably one of the biggest projects undertaken in the State if not the Nation. The rectory team did an outstanding job of keeping the building on schedule and on budget. Many hours went into putting together a commemorative book which was sent to State. The book documented the rectory need and its building. Also, watch the Columbia magazine in the future, for there may be an article on this project in the upcoming months. This council amazes me with all our programs and accomplishments over the years. Nothing is impossible because of you, our members, by bringing your ideas and perseverance and seeing them through completion.

On another note my time has Grand Knight is almost over as the fraternal year comes to an end. I’m sure you are all excited to get rid of me and all my quirks! I just want to tell you all from the bottom of my heart I truly have enjoyed the last couple of years as Grand Knight. It was a great experience and I learned a lot about the Council along the way. I want to thank all of the officers for their hard work and dedication, with many of them doing double duties. I was proud to serve you guys and look forward to what is next on this journey. Thank you all for the help along the way.

God Bless.
Jim Wiegers
Grand Knight

* * * * *

You and your spouse are invited to the

Knights of Columbus Council 4174 Awards Banquet and Social

 Wednesday, June 10, at St. Albert’s Parish Center

Come and enjoy some social time starting at 6:30 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. with awards to follow. Please join us! Please RSVP to council4174@gmail.com.

Sign Up Now to Help with Albertville Friendly City Days, June 12-14

Greetings Knights!

The AFCD beer tent event is almost here, and we still have shifts available to fill. Please sign up to serve beer and visit with fellow Knights of Columbus. I am not absolutely sure, but I believe the Venerable Father Michael McGivney himself would have signed up for at least two shifts.

Shifts are Friday, June 12, 7-10 p.m. and 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Saturday, June 13, 1 to 4 p.m., 4 to 7 p.m., 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., and 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.; and Sunday, June 14/15, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 to 4 p.m.

 Attention! New this year, we are in need of your energetic older kids (or younger, focused kids) who can shag softballs at the softball tournament next door sponsored by the KofC. Your kids would shag foul balls, erratic throwing errors, home-runs, etc., during the games. 

Please go to the online signup page and add your kids in the comments line for ball shagging duty. Any questions or to have me enter your name for a shift, call or email me and leave your shift preferences, along with your name and phone number. See you there and God bless! 

Your Chancellor,
Gary Frandsen

May 2015 Bulletin: Catholic Prayer and Devotions

Lead article from the May 2015 bulletin, online now. Reprinted from the KC Supreme website.

The human heart is drawn to the divine.  Many people have a sincere longing for holiness and that is why they spend time in contemplation.

We are encouraged to cultivate a profound inner life, contact with Jesus Christ that is both personal and constant.  The Fathers of the Church have consistently said that without true friendship with Jesus, it is impossible for a Christian to fulfill the mission of the Lord.

The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church may help focus our attention on the nature of prayer.  Here is a sampling of what you will find:

What is Prayer?
Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God, or the petition of good things from him in accord with his will.

It is always the gift of God who comes to encounter man.  Christian prayer is the personal and living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is infinitely good, with his Son Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit who dwells in their hearts.

How Does Jesus Teach Us to Pray?
Jesus teaches us to pray not only with the Our Father but also when he prays.  In this way he teaches us, in addition to the content, the dispositions necessary for every true prayer: purity of heart that seeks the Kingdom and forgives one’s enemies, bold and filial faith that goes beyond what we feel and understand, and watchfulness that protects the disciple from temptation.

Why is Our Prayer Efficacious?
Our prayer is efficacious because it is united in faith with the prayer of Jesus.  In him Christian prayer becomes a communion of love with the Father.  In this way we can present our petitions to God and be heard: “Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full” (Jn 16:24).

God Bless,
Jim 

For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that causes me shame, but that I always be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past, and that my life will always honor Christ. 

-- Philippians 1:20

April 2015 Bulletin: Get Active, Stay Active!

Lead article from the April bulletin, online now.

Well, it’s that time of year again.  Time to get ready for the State Convention by preparing all those forms.

As I complete the forms and look back at the past year, I have noticed how many activities we do in our council.  We have a very active council and many different programs which we couldn’t do without you!  I would like to thank you all for your involvement; being active in parades and Albertville City Days in the summer, to the tree lot & toy drive in the winter.  You probably do not realize that in just about every month we have some sort of event going on.  We could not do all of these without your time and effort.  It is greatly appreciated and I look forward to your continued support of all our different activities.  April is our Senior Citizen Dinner.  Contact Cory Sommer  at sommerhome66@gmail.com to help out.

A great resource for you to find out about our activities is at our business meetings which we have the first Thursday of every month, 7:00 PM at the St Albert’s Parish Center in Albertville.  If you can’t make it to that, we have a monthly newsletter, web site (http://kc4174.org) and Facebook also.  I would really like to encourage you to come to a business meeting, that’s where you are going to hear the most about how the council is doing and keep you updated on upcoming events.  Our April lecture program is a Micro-Beer Tasting. This is an Open Meeting and spouses are welcome.

The past few months our meeting attendance has been down and I would really like to see some fresh faces show up to these important meetings.  If I need to change how the meetings are run or if I am the reason that the attendance is down, I need your feedback.  Don’t worry about hurting my feelings, I have big shoulders.  So please let me know if I should be doing something differently.

I know everyone is busy and it is hard to make every meeting but it would be great if you could make a few during the year.  You could even heckle me and let me know everything that I did wrong or right in the meeting!!  We do a pretty good job of keeping the meetings to an hour and then you are free to go or stay.  We have some food and drink and a lecture program after every meeting that you can listen to.  In past lectures, we have learned about new tax laws, what’s going on with housing in our area, and updates on the Catholic school.  Again I hope to see you at an upcoming meeting.

Have a great Easter and Lenten season

God Bless,
Jim Wiegers

March 2015 Bulletin: A Silent Sermon

Lead article from the March 2015 bulletin, online now.

This month I couldn’t find the right words and had an extreme case of writers block. Every time I started to write I just stumbled and couldn’t finish a thought, so I went searching for some inspiration. I found this light hearted story and immediately thought of our very own Father Richards.

A Silent Sermon 

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him.  It was a chilly evening.  The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. 

Guessing the reason for his pastor’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.  The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. 

After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone.  Then he sat back in his chair, still silent.  The host watched all this in quiet contemplation.  As the one lone ember’s flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more.
Soon it was cold and dead.  Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. 

The pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave, he slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire.  Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. 

As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, “Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon.  I shall be back in church next Sunday.”

Author Unknown

We are very fortunate in the quality of priests and deacons that we have at our two parishes. They inspire us to continue to grow in our faith and challenge us to invite and be warming to others.

I hope you found some humor in this article and have a great start to the Lenten season!

God Bless,

Jim Wiegers

Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 
-- Romans 12:13

February 2015 Bulletin: Proving God's Not Dead

Lead article from the February 2015 bulletin, online now.

I watched a movie with the family this past weekend, and it got me thinking about the world today and what we can do to make a difference.

First let me tell you about the movie. I’m sure many of you have watched it already, or if you haven’t, I would highly recommend it. The movie is God’s Not Dead.  It’s about a young Christian man in college and a conflict with a professor. The professor at the beginning of the class wants all the students to write on a piece of paper that “God is dead" and sign it. This young man struggles with this and won’t do it  The professor challenges the student to change his and the other students mind and prove that God’s not dead. That is all I will tell you about the movie in case you have not had a chance to see it.

Now, on to the world today and all that is going on. What can we do to prove that God is not dead?  It starts with realizing that many people truly believe that there is no God and that is why bad things happen. We need to change that and let people know that God is not dead, and one of the greatest gifts He gave us was free will. 

If there was no God, then would there be a right and wrong moral compass? I think not. He set the standard and gave us the choice to follow or not. Which brings me back to what we can do to prove that God is not dead.

The easy thing is to continue to be Knights and show what we are about: the men in blue. We are strong and can continue to lead by example! We should be like the young man in the movie. When challenged about our faith, we should not waver, but accept the challenge, defend our faith, and prove that God is real.

I know that sometimes I don’t have the confidence in myself to defend my beliefs, but that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t try. All it takes is listening to that voice in your heart and let the Holy Spirit guide you. Many of you are much better at finding the right words or able to quote scripture passages off the top of your head. This is great, but if you are like me, the words don’t come that quickly and you need time to process ideas.

The main thing I want to get across is to continue to help form our youth in the faith, and slowly we can change the perception that God is dead.  So, I have a challenge for you: the next time someone dumps on faith or religion, stand up and defend your beliefs.

Together we can change the world.

God Bless,

Jim Wiegers

He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.  He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded. -- Psalm 105:7-8