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Of the Lord’s Work in many places…….

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I was wondering tonight, why I was so tired and then I remembered that yesterday I became just a year and a half away from eligibility for my AARP card! We left St. Patrick’s tonight at around 11pm, and it is all set to go but for one bathroom which will be completed about 2 weeks from now.

It felt different working there at St. Patrick’s since it is just a couple of miles from where we currently live. Since I am the priest of currently four churches, I thought WOW, this is so close to my house, but then I thought I am in lots of places and A LOT! As a matter of fact, I am only there at St. Patrick’s tomorrow because Deacons PT and Dan thought I should be at the first service when it was mostly done. Otherwise I would have been in both Nashville and Greenfield. It is funny to me……we are all so committed to all of our Missions, and to us it really doesn’t matter where we are. It is about serving God’s people and being among them. All of us, including Deacon Tony and Father Chuck, are just thankful for the opportunities we have to serve. I am blessed to work with such a wonderful gaggle (the proper term I believe for a group of clergy) of people.

Anyway, I am exhausted and going to bed. I hope and pray you and I all have a blessed and productive day tomorrow!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Fr. Tom+

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Everybody’s working for the weekend……….

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With a lot of prayers and a lot of work, I am happy to report that the work on St. Patrick’s should be finished sometime tonight before midnight! I am SO HAPPY. The people have been so patient and it will be such a blessing to have a completed and permanent home.

Often things like this get completed and it feels like a finish line when in fact it is just a beginning. We have a new church, new chairs, room to do things, yet we are called not to put our feet up and enjoy it, but rather to use it! We will use this to teach classes, to worship, to spread the Good News, and to grow God’s Kingdom. And just as the goal of the early Church was to expand, so too from St. Patrick’s do we hope to plant other churches!

I will not kid you, I am exhausted! We have been working non-stop for weeks and now Christmas is upon us! It is going to get a bit more intense before it gets easier! But thank God for the opportunities and the blessings He has bestowed upon us and our ministry! There is no greater privilege and no better place that I could imagine to be!

Come visit or join us at ANY of our missions!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Fr. Tom+

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Breaking Free…….

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Not a long post tonight other than to report that I went to the Neurologist today for a stroke follow-up and not only got a good report, but my next appointment has been scheduled 6 months down the line. The longer between appointments the less concerned they are for you! Praise God!

Anyway, I will post more tomorrow. I just wanted to share the good news! Off to bed for me!

Goodnight and God Bless.

Tom+

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Of giving and offering over anything else……..

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Just a week from now we will gather together and celebrate the birth of Our Lord on Christmas Eve. All four of our missions will hold services that evening and it will be a joyous occasion.

As I look around this world, I see so much that Our Lord speaks to, yet there seems so much resistance to Him. I saw a news program today where a town was arguing over whether they were “holiday lights” or “Christmas lights,” and there was quite a bit of anger on both sides. We have the manger vs menorah thing still going on, and now Kwanzaa has entered the debate as well. There is a lot of Santa, but very little Jesus. And as I ponder it all I wonder why anyone is surprised at the tension.

Being a Christian is not always easy, but it is important……particularly in the world we live in today. Jesus is not about the tension, He is about saving souls, and we would all do well to be able to tell the difference……not by ramrodding things down each others’ throats or fighting to the death over lights, but by sharing the Good News with others of what Jesus has done for us.

Keep on the path my friends and share what you know. The Greatest Gift ever given is never forced, but joyously offered and willingly received. And we can count on Him to do His part as well. The world needs Him and what He has to offer. Step up in faith, and help offer Him all the more!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Fr. Tom+

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Winter is back!!!

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I am glad to finally see all the snow and the cold weather! And though all our cars are iced up and the roads are treacherous, it just feels right to have all of it in the month of December. Certainly I could do without the bad roads, but with all the leaves gone the snow makes everything look so wonderful.

As breeders of Golden Retrievers I love getting them out in the new snow. There are no bigger idiots than our four, who romp and play and have so much fun chasing each other and rolling around in it. It makes me so happy to watch them. In a way it just makes all the hustle and bustle of life seem very small. Watching them is watching pure enjoyment and love for the moment. I only wish I could capture some of their exuberance!

Winter is kind of my thing. I know I am an anomaly rather than the norm, but I really don’t care. I feel blessed to enjoy it, and thank God for the opportunity to do so each day it is with us. Snow is God’s way of covering up the muck, and the cold reminds us that our hearts are what’s warm. And for those of you who do not believe it, that’s why He made hot chocolate. Pour yourself a cup and sit it out. Spring is just over 3 months away!

Stay warm! Goodnight and God Bless!

Tom+

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A day of great distraction…….

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Sometimes it is just hard for me to write. It’s not that I don’t have a lot running through my mind, it is just the distractions. I can say that since my stroke, it takes very little to distract me. I always thought that if I were ever tested for ADD they would make me the ADD King, but since the stroke I am even more proficient at being distracted.

Case in point, I have sat down to type this blog numerous times tonight. It is too cold now for the porch, so I am in the kitchen at the table. Everything tears my attention away…..Amanda, Ben, the phone, the TV, and now even the dishwasher. And every good thought that comes seems to leave me as I concentrate upon something else. I envy those with the ability to not be distracted, and I am pretty certain I will never be asked to join them!

Sadly, one of the problems with my problem is in trying to concentrate, I often appear rude. I don’t mean to be, but pre-stroke I could at least recover. Now when a thought leaves me it is just gone forever. I have to try really had to stay focused, and as you can imagine with all the writing I do, that is a big task.

I don’t think the Lord wants me to give up doing what I do, but He has led me to make major adjustments. Being on the porch with the cat to write these blog entries was one of them, but now that she is hibernating for the winter, I am left to fend for myself. Cats are loyal mostly to themselves…..a lot like toddlers!

Anyway, me and my fuzzy mind will head off to bed. I have outlasted all my distractions but the dishwasher and want to finish before it expects me to unload it. And I hope and pray that your day was productive and distraction free.

Until tomorrow goodnight and God Bless.

Tom+

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Of joy, of work, and of rest……..

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We finally held our first service at the new St. Patrick’s today and it was a joyous event. I wish I was not so tired, but the people and the cake made it well worthwhile. We still have a lot to do to the facility and most of that will take place this week. I will be much more prepared to be there too, having slept after doing our Riverwalk service with Amanda (and Ben) in the early afternoon. I was exhausted!

And of course, as you may imagine, I still am! I notice very few problems from my stroke anymore, but if I am tired or stressed they float right to the surface. Today those problems were everywhere, but I can laugh them off. I can banish them quickly with just a little more sleep.

So of course that’s where I am going…..to bed. I hope to wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (as my grandma would say) and the best way to get there is to turn in.

So goodnight my friends and God Bless you! It has been a busy, but great day. I hope and pray that yours was wonderful as well.

Tom+

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Sleepy, my role model dwarf……….

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Today has been one of the longest days in my memory. While workers put the “temporary carpet” and finishing touches on our new facility in Westfield, I spent time with a few others gathering the things we needed, such the tables, chairs, and liturgical items to move in after they were done. We actually were able to move most everything in by 9 pm, but still had a lot to do. Most left by midnight, and I finally left at 1:30 am with a sermon and bulletins awaiting me to prepare here at home. It will not be my best work, but all things considered, it was worth it.

This is to say, my post tonight or this morning, however you wish to define it, must be short and a few hours pre-dated to get it to post on Saturday. I am excited for the people of St. Patrick’s, but particularly for the members of all our missions who continue to contribute in their support of the ministry of St. Michael the Archangel. Tomorrow is just another marker of the Lord’s deep blessings upon us…….and for it, tired or not, I am truly thankful.

Goodnight or good morning I can’t tell which…….and God Bless!

Tom+

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Go Lady Millers Go Go Go!!

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Tonight the Noblesville Lady Millers, of which I am the coach, took the field for the final game of the indoor season. Both our boys teams finished the season last night, and tonight was our turn. The stands were full, and I am happy to say that we did not disappoint….at all.

Before the game I told them that if we played “our game” there would be no beating us, and that’s exactly what they did. The girl’s played better than they ever have, just like they practice, and their flawless performance led to a remarkable victory. You see, this team beat us twice last year, and one of those times in the finals. In the indoor season we split, but the last time they beat us badly. It was very good for the girl’s to play so well.

Anyway, I am off to bed while the day is going so well! Congrats Lady Millers! I am so proud of you. We are on our way to a great season this year!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless. Thanks for checking in!

Tom+

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Go Millers Go!

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Tonight was the playoffs for the men’s indoor lacrosse league. There are two divisions, and Scott plays for the high school in one of them. They played great. They won their first game, knocked off the top seed in the second, but lost in the last two seconds of the championship. That was a heart-breaker, but they played great all night.

Tomorrow night is the finals for the girl’s team. We are in the championship game already, so I hope everyone is rested and ready…..particularly since I am the coach! All our high school teams have fared pretty well regardless.

We will be taking a few weeks off until Winter ball which begins in January, and then it all starts up again. It is a great sport, and I am glad Stephanie and Scott play it. We have lots of fun.

I want to think about just that tonight, in that I was by St. Patrick’s tonight and it is still not even painted. We need to take possession of it in no later than 48 hours because we have no other place to go! Please keep it in your prayers. But for now I am off to bed savoring a great lacrosse evening!

Goodnight and God Bless.

Tom+