So every now and then I just get this insane inclining to do something absurd.
Perhaps I will see a Youtube video of a guy doing a backflip on a slackline or read a story of a man who crosses the Sahara just because. Whatever it may be, this happens to me all the time. Something will spark in my mind and I will just daydream for hours on end. Sometimes these daydreams are so intense I will start doing some sort of workout or start shopping on amazon for gear just to begin to make these dreams a reality. To my own dismay, I eventually come to terms with my own capabilities. My balance is far from adequate and walking for days in 120 degrees Fahrenheit is just not practical. But still, I want adventure. Living a comfortable life is not enough.
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” – St. Augustine, Confessions
Perhaps you relate? I would say this is inherent in all human beings–we are restless.
I see it in the students I have encountered on campus this year. Already I have been invited to go rock-climbing, snowboarding, and to take a jiu-jitsu class. Even the first disciples of Jesus understood this feeling well. What else would have driven them to leave behind their jobs, land and families to follow this carpenter’s son named Jesus? They witnessed His miracles and were inspired by His Word. Those miracles and that Word caused them to think and dream like never before. Nothing could keep them from following Him, they were inspired and absolutely chased those inspirations with a reckless sense of abandonment. For this Man has something they had been longing for, a sense of purpose.
“The search is what anyone would undertake if he were not sunk in the everydayness of his own life. To become aware of the possibility of the search is to be onto something. Not to be onto something is to be in despair.” – Walker Percy
My junior year at Loras College I went to a Catholic conference in Orlando, Florida called SEEK. It was here where I realized I was made for more than being a Duhawk (Loras’ mascot…it’s a hawk from Dubuque), finance major or farm-kid. When I look back on that time I would describe it as a beautiful identity crisis. It was at that time I recognized my most important identity, I am a child of God. We are all looking for that true identity which gives a true purpose.
“Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, ‘What do you seek?’” – John 1:38
Bulldogs – Now it is Your Chance
SEEK 2015 is happening this year in Nashville, Tennessee, and I am so flippin’ jazzed about it that it cannot be contained. Everyone needs to experience this conference! Picture yourself at the Gaylord Opryland Resort with 7000+ college students building on dreams and being inspired by 50+ dynamic speakers, plus entertainment by Matt Maher and comedy from Jim Gaffigan. From January 1st to January 5th you will experience life like you have never experienced life before. My goodness… I fail to put words to the experience you will have. Just GO! For the sake of your soul, for the sake of the souls you love. So much effort is being put into this specifically for you. You are going to have fun, you are going to make friends, and your life will be renewed.
SEEK 2015 – Jim Gaffigan is a Grammy nominated Comedian, New York Times Best Selling author, top touring performer, and multi-platinum selling father of five.
I desire for so many of you to have this experience, it physically aches. Maybe you have questions. Maybe you want more details. Maybe you are thinking this is not the best way to spend your winter break. This is natural. Just please, give me a chance to speak to you. You can find my contact info on this website. If you don’t want to talk to me, then talk to another FOCUS missionary, if not a missionary talk to Fr. Mike. Please consider. Please pray. I want you there. I am positive the Lord wants you there. Let yourself be inspired by that same Man and that same Word the disciples were inspired by. Witness the Lord and chase Him with complete abandonment.
Learn More: SEEK2015.com
“Let’s go, in life, up that mountain that the prophet speaks of (Isaiah 2: 1-5)… one day there will be the definite encounter where we can see the beautiful gaze of Jesus. Let yourselves be looked upon by Jesus, because Jesus looks upon us with love. He loves us very much. And he looks upon us always. This is the Christian life. To journey, to go forward, united as brothers, everyone loving one another.” – Pope Francis
