Christ, Coffee, and Cornfields

   So Kobe Bryant passed away yesterday, along with his daughter and the rest of the passengers on the helicopter that crashed. Understandably, everyone who hears about it is shaken up. He was only 41 years old and his daughter just 13. Very young to be dead. Please pray for them and their families. It definitely made me start thinking about my own mortality and that of my family.   I won't lie; I was never much of a fan of Kobe. Until yesterday, all I knew about him was that he was a really good baller and he cheated on his wife once. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I judged the heck out of him for that. After his death hit the news, there were some articles that detailed his reversion to the Catholic faith and how he used his wealth and fame to help others. I was totally floored by that, and quite ashamed of myself. He clearly found the mercy of God and embraced it to the fullest. I went to Confession before Mass yesterday, so His mercy was very fresh in my life, a...

  Not gonna lie, my faith life has been pretty stagnant lately. It's probably due to a lot of things, but mostly I've just been lazy and not prioritizing correctly. Unsurprisingly, it feels like my life has been a huge crap show over the last month or so. It hasn't really, but I have felt totally out of control...almost as though I'm drowning and can't seem to get up for enough air. I've felt trapped.   There are so many ways to describe what Jesus has done for us and what being a Christian defines us as. These analogies and descriptions can be more impactful depending on the person hearing them and what is going on in their life. Lately, the idea of "rescue" and being "set free" have been speaking to me. The whole idea of capture and rescue and bondage and freedom have become somewhat romanticized in culture. For example, so often in shows, books, and movies, a woman may get kidnapped or trapped in some way and the man comes to her rescue ...

  I've had the topic of modesty on my heart for a long time now. It's an ideal that was instilled in me by my parents, and as I've grown up it's something I have taken ownership of in my life. Modesty is a threefold concept, consisting of modesty in mind, action, and body. However, for the sake of this post I would like to focus on the physical aspect of modesty, in part because it would be a very long post if I didn't and second because I believe that if you are modest in how you dress, it becomes natural to be modest in mind and action. Modesty in mind and action is what most of us know as the quality of humility.   As I've discerned writing on this topic, it has been really hard for me to get going on it. I would always get writer's block and give up after a few sentences, not really sure why because I love talking about modesty! Last night I figured it out; I intended to write it in lecture form. LOL. That isn't the point of my blog, and it certain...