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Jesus is coming and He’s mad. Today’s Advent Gospel (Lk. 21:25-28; 34-36) rouses us, not with carols but a swift kick. The Son of Man—supreme in ‘power and great glory’ (v.27)—will soon shake heavens, pierce clouds, judge earth. Scary. Conclusive. Inclusive. ‘For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth’ (v.35). What? Gimme a break, God. Tough year…Leave me to boozy nostalgia. He persists. Eschewing all sedatives, the God of Advent alerts us to distra

Editor’s Note: TOB is the abbreviation for Pope St. John Paul II’s book “Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body” Pauline Press ‘One of the good things that comes of a true marriage is: there is one face on which changes come without your seeing them; or rather, there is one face you can still see the same through all the shadows which years have gathered on it.’ George McDonald Annette’s sinus infection kept us up most of the night. Three strong-willed grandkid

By Marco Casanova DSM Assistant Director Editor’s Note: TOB is the abbreviation for Pope St. John Paul II’s book “Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body” Pauline Press I know a nun whose love of Jesus amazes me. Spirit-filled and made for mission, this sister lives radically in communion with Jesus. She’s concerned about His business. Her celibate offering in the Dominican Republic bore many spiritual children. She mothered people to Jesus. I worked with her fo

Editor’s Note: TOB is the abbreviation for Pope St. John Paul II’s book “Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body” Pauline Press That guy (call him Tom) intimidated me: snorting and glowering as he benched 300 pounds, he typified the type of guy I tend to hate. And envy, with a little lust thrown in to keep me humble. I would see him at the gym on occasion and felt conflicted over the Spirit’s prompt to evangelize him. Jesus reminded me that I need not come under

By Marco Casanova DSM Assistant Director ‘The way to holiness is the path of My friendship. There are many who complicate the way of holiness and who make it seem forbidding and unattainable to others. It is enough to accept My gift of friendship… Let Me love you as a friend. That is enough.’ (In Sinu Jesu, 41) I usually pray in my living room before an image of the Divine Mercy. Blood, Water, and Spirit flow from His merciful heart. Wordlessly. Early in the morning, coffee

By Abbey Foard DSM Executive Director St. Thomas Aquinas’ (1225-1274) hymn, Adoro te Devote, captured me with its melody when I heard it almost a decade ago (listen to a contemporary setting of the melody here). Hidden God, devoutly I adore Thee, truly present underneath these veils: all my heart subdues itself before Thee, since it all before Thee faints and fails. Ah, this 'hidden' God, who implores us to seek Him passionately, before whom hearts melt in submission and surr

By Adam Pane DSM Creative Content Manager Editor’s Note: TOB is the abbreviation for Pope St. John Paul II’s book “Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body” Pauline Press 'Your real, new self will not come as long as you are looking for it. It will come when you are looking for Him.' – C.S. Lewis Born into a broken world, I recognize the disintegrated parts of myself: physically, mentally, and spiritually. Physically, I possess a degenerative disease rated as one

By Amber Wheeler DSM Asst. to Exec. and Asst. Directors Editor’s Note: TOB is the abbreviation for Pope St. John Paul II’s book “Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body” Pauline Press ‘Broken.’ Add to it ‘abused’, ‘worthless’, ‘used’, ‘not good enough’, ‘unloved’, ‘helpless’…I heard these whispers constantly, and I agreed with them in spite of a shiny exterior. Though I rejected relating to God in my deep wounds and needs, He pursued me to restore me. The Holy

Editor’s Note: TOB is the abbreviation for Pope St. John Paul II’s book “Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body” Pauline Press First freezing morning: harder to see and feel Risen Jesus in dismal cold. Fire on, fire up! If the faithful can’t re-ignite from our incendiary Source, what good are we to a numb world? He lives to inflame our damp witness and sharpen dull spirits, especially in the darkness. Resurrection lights up the night. It changes everything. No

By Marco Casanova DSM Assistant Director A couple of years ago, Andrew and I were running a half-marathon. On route, we passed my midtown parish—traditional, profoundly devoted to the liturgy. Her stature catches the eye. The copper domes tower over the main street. What a neat sight, as if the church was cheering us on to finish well! In the Spirit, Andrew saw a flood of ‘living water’ pouring forth from the church’s altar out onto the street. We wondered: has God positioned

By Dean Greer DSM Living Waters USA Manager Editor’s Note: TOB is the abbreviation for Pope St. John Paul II’s book “Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body” Pauline Press ‘Man becomes an image of God not so much in the moment of solitude as in the moment of communion.’ (TOB 9:3) Early on in my healing journey, I discovered the remarkable way that God uses community to break my heart open to encounter His love. Prior to conversion as a young adult, community

By Morgan Davis Desert Stream Ministries Board Member ‘I realize I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway.’ Romans 7:18-19 (MSG) I learned to hide from a very early age, not the kind of hiding where you want to be found, just the hiding part. Being ‘found’ usually came with a lot of shame, the dehumanizing kind. As I grew older, I found more effective ways t

By Mike Nobrega Desert Stream Ministries Board Member I came to Desert Stream for help almost 30-years-ago: I was unable to break the grip of persistent sexual sin alone. I had grown up actively Roman Catholic through high school and had an “awakening” experience with Jesus in my late teens. Neither regular confession as a Catholic nor a new relationship with Jesus “took away” my sexual obsession. I prayed and expected marriage to a godly woman would quench the thirst. No

By Katie Comiskey Kansas City Living Waters Leader The Lord has met me in my brokenness in myriad ways: at His Cross, through His people, in the beauty of the Eucharist. He has freed me from the bondage of despair, rooted in a deep sense of inadequacy in my femininity. From a young age, I felt disqualified in my gender: never worthy, not possessing the beauty and the charm to be considered a “good” woman. Thankfully, I have received healing in this area, particularly through

Editor’s Note: TOB is the abbreviation for Pope St. John Paul II’s book “Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body” Pauline Press ‘The inner man is called by Christ to reach a more mature and complete evaluation that allows him to distinguish and judge various movements of his heart…this task can be carried out and is truly worthy of man’ (TOB 48:4). I love that. I am worthy of struggle—the tussle between a harmonious union of my members, and disintegration—offbea

By Abbey Foard DSM Executive Director Editor’s Note: TOB is the abbreviation for Pope St. John Paul II’s book “Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body” Pauline Press "If we do not see our own darkness, we cannot know the love and light of divine goodness." St. Catherine of Siena As a new psychology student, I “came down” with a new mental disorder the more I studied. From depression to obsessive-compulsive disorder, dependent to borderline personalities, there

‘If we do not see our own darkness, we cannot know the love and light of divine goodness.’ St. Catherine of Siena Annette often sees my blindness better than I do. She bumps up against her spouse’s striving and denial of the strain; she can at times detect my divided heart before I do. I am humbled by another helping me to see what I cannot. And I am responsible for learning through it, to internalize self-knowledge that has come from without. We discover ourselves in fits an

By Marco Casanova DSM Assistant Director Editor’s Note: TOB is the abbreviation for Pope St. John Paul II’s book “Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body” Pauline Press Naps are a luxury for anyone with responsibility. Yet give me a chance, I’ll take it! Nothing like a power nap between Kingdom-come adventures. During one such nap… I was jolted awake, way too soon. My alarm? I recalled a meeting that started in minutes. I came to my senses in view of my respons

Editor’s Note: TOB is the abbreviation for Pope St. John Paul II’s book “Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body” Pauline Press How did we get here? What drives 30-40% of young adult America (Barna Study) to identify as LGBTQ+? Spoiler alert: it’s not sourced in longstanding same-sex desires or hating one’s biological gender. It’s the lure of belonging. Under a loose-knit, comfy rainbow shawl, one finds solidarity with persons who have done nothing but ‘come out

By David Halliburton Member of the Living Waters National Council Sexual abuse led me to believe I needed to be secretive to survive. Jesus invited me to tell the truth and live. My life began to shatter at the age of 9 when an older male friend groomed then guided me into years of sexual abuse and porn use. Evil, forced touch planted seeds of gender confusion as abuse aroused my body. His influence triggered addictive behavior, self-sabotage, and self-hatred. Hiding my addic