Did you know that there is a group that names a Single Christian of the Year? I didn't and thought the news story was perhaps kidding me. I did click and read it and was surprised to learn that Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos had been selected. Tebow says he is saving himself for marriage, meaning that he is still a virgin. I am hoping that is true but can't help but think about a number of incidents over his college career that begs the question. Anyway, I do not know and have no way of knowing if he is still a virgin so I will take the man at his word. He has been a good role model and has been very vocal about his belief in Christ. Hopefully he has brought many sports fans to the Lord and for that I thank him. While we are on the subject of sports, I wanted to pass along a story I read about Russell Shepard. He plays for the LSU Tigers and is originally from Houston, Texas. Apparently, he has a younger brother who is not as athletically skilled as Russell but nevertheless plays football. The younger brother is a senior in high school and got a scholarship offer to play at McNeese State University next year, which is located in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Russell was so thankful that his brother had received an offer, he sent the coach at McNeese a personal note of thanks. Now that is incredible. It shows what kind of person Russell is and I am sure that he and his brother have a very close relationship. All of this tells me a great deal about what kind of man Russell Shepard is and I am praying that he has a very successful career. Psalms 94, 17-19 tells us, "If the Lord were not my help, I would long have been silent in the grave. When I say, 'My foot is slipping,' your love, Lord, holds me up. When cares increase within me, your comfort gives me joy."

Happy birthday Mother Teresa (or more officially Blessed Teresa of Calcutta). She would have been 100 years old today. I am sure she is working hard in Heaven just as she did on earth for her Holy Father. So many people have been blessed by her presence and work. For such a tiny person, she made a loud noise but not in the usual way. It was her example, her faith with works, that brought so many people to Jesus. She continues to do that thirteen years after her death. As she often said, "Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person." Happy birthday beautiful lady.

If you saw Jesus on the street today and He asked you to follow Him, what would you do? Quick, make the choice! In our heart, I am sure we would say yes Lord and follow Him. It is the question asked in Sidewalk Prophets current single You Can Have Me. They go on to add the catch, "But I had to give up everything; All I once held dear and all of my dreams; Would I love You enough to let go; Or would my love run dry; When You asked for my life" It is, of course, the question that Jesus asked his apostles. They did follow him and left behind their old way of life. It made me think, would I even see Jesus in the streets of today? There are so many distractions. We are all so busy. Would I take the time to stop and talk to Jesus? If the answer is no, that signals a deeper problem. If we are indeed too busy for Jesus, what are we doing with our time that is more important? What are we doing with our time that will take care of us eternally? Are we building up the Kingdom of God with our time? I heard a statistic yesterday that said we will end up watching almost nine years worth of television over the course of our lives, yet we will only end up spending five months of our lives doing charity or religious activities. I took that as a challenge. I started doing an inventory of the time I spend on each activity. I am committed to making that five months into 5 years or more. It is probably a good way to make sure that I will see Jesus on the street if He comes looking for me.

I for one have decided to boycott Best Buy and Geek Squad. Here is why. Two years ago, Father Luke Strand, then a deacon in his last year of studies to become a priest of the Milwaukee Archdiocese, came into the spotlight for his unusual looking car. Riding around town in a black Volkswagen Beetle with a Roman collar painted on the hood, a "God Squad" logo on the sides, and a personalized license plate GODLVYA proudly proclaiming his mission, he attracted attention on the roads. The car, along with his laid-back nature and outgoing personality, sparked faith-filled conversations with friends and strangers alike. Now an associate pastor at Holy Family Parish in Fond du Lac, Father Strand is again in the public eye for his God Squad vehicle: The logo is too similar to Best Buy's Geek Squad trademark. In mid-August, Father Strand received a letter from the Minnesota-based consumer electronics company requesting that he "cease-and-desist" his God Squad logo, because of copyright infringement. The shape of the logo, font and colors, all on a black Volkswagen Beetle, were too similar to their well-known Geek Squad cars, according to the complaint sent through the company's legal department. Whether it's television, newspapers, talk radio or Internet message boards, Father Strand has garnered national attention. Many compare his situation to that of David and Goliath, in which the young priest is pitted against a greedy corporation and its lawyers. Father Strand, however, doesn't see it that way. For now, Father Strand, who consulted a lawyer about his case, has removed the decals from his car and will redesign the God Squad logo. While he is grateful that people care so much about his public legal situation, he feels that many are making this out to be a bigger deal than it is. "I was surprised," Father Strand said in an interview with the Catholic Herald, Milwaukee's archdiocesan newspaper, recalling when he first opened the letter from Best Buy. "Obviously, I didn't expect it." After consulting with a lawyer, he took the logo off his car. "We were really using the car as a way to bring the Gospel message to the streets," he explained. "To develop relationships with people and spark conversations with people, and offer them an opportunity to approach someone from the church and maybe talk about what's going on in their life. "I just found it to be a phenomenal opportunity to really spark those conversations with people who might be questioning their life, want to talk a little about where they are in their relationship with God," he added. A statement released by Best Buy's public relations department stated: "As a matter of practice, Best Buy aggressively defends all of our trademarks, including the Geek Squad logo." "We sent a notification letter to Fr. Strand and God Squad because of the unfortunate similarities between their logo and ours. This was a really difficult thing for us to do because we appreciate what Fr. Strand is trying to accomplish with his mission," it read. "But at the end of the day, it's bad precedent to let some groups violate our trademark while pursuing others. We're now working closely with Fr. Strand's organization to modify the God Squad logo so that it still works for him and yet doesn't violate the Geek Squad logo. We're confident that together we'll come up with a good (dare we say heavenly?) solution for everyone." Throughout the two years he has been driving the God Squad car, conversations with curious onlookers taught him that it wasn't the car that mattered, but his easygoing approach that truly struck a chord, according to Rhea Behlke, director of stewardship at Holy Family Parish. "It wasn't really the logo itself or the type of car itself that was important as much as the fact that it provided people an opening to talk about their faith, or to approach a priest when they might not otherwise do so. He would like to find a way to be continually creative in bringing the Gospel to the streets," she explained. Although Father Strand will have to go without his logo until a new one can be redesigned, he is adamant that his mission -- uniquely recognizable on the streets or not -- will continue. "The new evangelization is not about one car with God Squad written on it, but really about leading people to an encounter with Jesus, and that's what we're about as priests, what we are about as Catholics, the church, and that's where I want to put my time and energy," he said.

Pope Benedict XVI named Redemptorist Fr. Joseph Tobin as the new secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, colloquially known as the "Congregation for Religious." It’s the office with lead responsibility for some 190,000 religious priests and brothers, and roughly 750,000 sisters, worldwide. Tobin is the Superior General of the Redemptorists from 1997 to 2009 and becomes an archbishop by virtue of the appointment. As someone who has been influenced by Redemptorists growing up, I know that they are terrific priests that become very involved in the community life of the parishes they serve. This is a wonderful accomplishment for the order. Fr. Tobin was born in Detroit, Michigan, on May 3. 1952. He is the oldest of 13 children of Joseph (deceased) and Marie Terese Tobin. Tobin was baptized at and attended a Redemptorist Parish, Holy Redeemer Church, and entered the Redemptorist minor seminary in the autumn of 1966. He entered novitiate in July 1972 and on August 5, 1973 he made his first profession. He completed his philosophy studies at Holy Redeemer College, Waterford, Wisconsin and theology studies at Mt. St. Alphonsus Seminary in Esopus, NY, earning Masters Degrees in Religious Education and Divinity. Tobin made his perpetual profession on August 21, 1976 and was ordained to the priesthood on June 1, 1978. The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (Congregatio pro Institutis Vitae Consecratae et Societatibus Vitae Apostolicae; CIVCSVA) is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for everything that concerns institutes of consecrated life (orders and religious congregations, both of men and of women, secular institutes) and Societies of Apòstolic Life regarding their government, discipline, studies, goods, rights, and privileges.

My help comes from the Lord. How often do I say this throughout the day? I am slowly coming to realize how true this statement is and hearing The Museum sing these same words helps to remind me in a beautiful way. It, of course, is a scripture quoted from the Bible. Psalms 121:2-4 tells us, "My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. God will not allow your foot to slip; your guardian does not sleep. Truly, the guardian of Israel never slumbers nor sleeps." Now that provides the comfort we are all searching for. God, our guardian, is always there to help and protect us. He is ever present if we just turn to Him. I have a friend who is walking so strongly with the Lord. During a recent torrential thunderstorm, she remarked, "thank you Lord for washing my car, it needed it." I just smiled because she is really allowing God to permeate her every fiber. I like rain and think that lightening displays the power of God but I never thought to look at a storm in that way. The Museum sing, "When I’m broken, scarred by sin, death gives way to life again." The redemption of the Lord is so sweet. It brings such comfort if we allow Him to work in our lives. Sin does produce an impediment. Sin builds walls that block our God out. We only need to remove the sin to allow our God back into our hearts. And we know that all things are possible with God in our lives. If you have slipped recently, return to the Father who never slumbers. He is waiting for you.

Hearing the readings this past Sunday at Mass has left a lasting impression on me. I returned to Ecclesiastes Chapter 1 to read the entire passage after hearing a teaser. We heard 1:2 which says, "Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!" But the next two lines are just as telling, "What profit has man from all the labor which he toils at under the sun? One generation passes and another comes, but the world forever stays." It speaks of the futility that many of us pursue in trying to collect as many possessions as we can. It reminds us of how easily it is to be consumed by false gods and idols rather than concentrating on God's plan for us. In 1:11 it says, "There is no remembrance of the men of old; nor of those to come will there be any remembrance among those who come after them." A very relevant remark for this age. We are constantly trying to reinvent ourselves, our society and our world but the problem with most of those attempts is that the decisions are being made in a vacuum. Many of us are not familiar with our past. We do not take the time anymore to read and learn about the history of our nation or the world. While the Bible is our guide for life, it also give us historical perspective. Many of the stories in the Bible provide us with valuable historical insight that can be used to guide our societal decisions. Verse 11 resonates because it reinforces the idea that God never forgets but our memories are short and that dooms us to repeat our bad decisions. Living in the plan of God allows us to rely on His memory. It provides a solid foundation that encourages us to pray and be thoughtful when we make decisions. It is the way of truth.

Some of the oldest images of the Apostles Andrew, John, Peter, and Paul were recently uncovered in the catacombs of Rome. Art restorers in Italy made the discovery using laser technology. They appear to be from the second half of the 4th Century or the early 5th Century. The tomb belonged to a Roman noblewoman in the Santa Tecla catacomb and had come to light over two years ago but the restoration process has just now allowed the images to be accessed so that proper identification could be made of the pictures. Some of the folks working on the project note that the images certainly had an influence on later pictures of the Apostles. The project leader, Barbara Mazzei, said that the find was very emotional. The project is being funded by the Vatican. It is times like these when I am glad that science continues to be used in matters like this. We walk by faith and now that the Apostles were real people but it is nice to have validation of this sort. Having these images also allows us to realize a clearer image of Jesus Christ. There are so many conflicting images of Him in the world and they continue to change over time. Not of paramount importance in the grand scheme of things, but it helps to validate to those that do not profess a faith in Jesus that He did indeed walk among us. The Apostles were humans who embarked on an incredible journey; one that is open to us as well but we must take the first step.