"The truth is not always the same as the majority decision." -Pope John Paul II

ignite logo
Originally uploaded by braddahdj.

so we finally came up with a logo for the youth ministry. man, it's so hard to get in an art mode after being out of school for so long. that, and trying to get finances in order doesn't really lend itself to being creative. but, after a kinda trippy week i guess we're pretty much done.

now comes the fun part of doing what i can so the ministry lives up to the name ignite.

oh yeah, and we're finishing up the youth room slowly but surely. right now we have one half blue with black stripe, and the other side is tutti frutti-pink, mango passion-green and chalkboard black (so we can write on the walls). we still have to put up our mural, find couch covers, and build a backlit logo for the pink wall and i think we'll have our room up and going. slowly but surely...

today is one of those catch your breath days. the whole schiavo case, the memorial service i had to put together, the random homeless guy who knew my name, and the whole deal with the pope has me pretty well drained. i'm not catholic, but i've always liked the pope. we have the same birthday and we are both of polish decent (although i claim norwegian). anyways, i always respected him, and thought he was a very admirable man. he made tough calls, unpopular to some, but always did what he thought was right in God's eyes. you can't really ask for more than that from a man. mi padre always told we 'doing the right thing is always the right thing to do' and the pope def personified that. like him or not, agree with him or not, he was a good man. i think my favorite story of the pope is when he invited a breakdancing crew to the vatican and said he was marveled at how well they could move. that's right, the pope liked breakdancing. and he kept working after taking a bullet. but in his last hours, he embraced life the way that is in great contrast to the schiavo case that frustrated me so much. the pope faced death like someone who was ready to see God. i may not be catholic, but that is def something that i can look to the pope as a role model.

here's a few of my favorite quotes from the pope:
"The truth is not always the same as the majority decision."

"Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you, therefore no harm can befall you; all is very, very well. Do this in complete faith and confidence."

"Science can purify religion from error and superstition. Religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes."

"As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live."

"The future starts today, not tomorrow."

"To maintain a joyful family requires much from both the parents and the children. Each member of the family has to become, in a special way, the servant of the others."

"You are priests, not social or political leaders. Let us not be under the illusion that we are serving the Gospel through an exaggerated interest in the wide field of temporal problems."

"Radical changes in world politics leave America with a heightened responsibility to be, for the world, an example of a genuinely free, democratic, just and humane society. "

"When you wonder about the mystery of yourself, look to Christ, who gives you the meaning of life. When you wonder what it means to be a mature person, look to Christ, who is the fulfillness of humanity. And when you wonder about your role in the future of the world look to Christ."

"Young people are threatened... by the evil use of advertising techniques that stimulate the natural inclination to avoid hard work by promising the immediate satisfaction of every desire."



God, I know that the pope did his best to serve you. i pray i can do the same.

....man, its 630 and it may as well be 2 in the morning. i'm wiped out, and since none of the kiddos signed up to go to the retreat this weekend i have a free night. i think it's bonfire at the beach time.

well, to all the people out there mourning the pope's death, i hope you can find comfort in the way he went. as for me, it's time to get move on and get ready for tomorrow.

one love, one heart.